And So We Fight
by The Fighting Irishman
Summary: Perhaps it is written in destiny that the struggle between that of Wisdom and Courage against that of Power is eternal. Perhaps it is inevitable that conflict and war shall be birthed of that struggle. But what is also eternal is our refusal to let this overwhelm us. Darkness can never win. And so we fight. A Novelization of Hyrule Warriors.
1. Prologue

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

Patrolling the outskirts of the kingdom was not one of Impa's favorite things to do. She shifted uncomfortably in the saddle of her horse, trying to make herself more at home on the leather load. If it were up to her, she would be walking at all times. To be in total control of one's sense of place was one of the core tenets held by the Sheikah people, of which she was a part of.

Alas, her ruler, the fair princess Zelda, insisted that her trusted lieutenant and commander in the Hyrulian Army take up the saddle during long excursions.

"You can at least _pretend _like you care about all of our traditions," Zelda had said that day, after seeing Impa return from a patrol completely filthy with her clothes covered in muck and grime and Goddesses knows what else. The other soldiers loved the fact that their commander was so willing to get down into the dirt with the rest of them. Truthfully, Impa knew that Zelda didn't mind either. It was the obnoxiously prissy "noblemen" that lingered throughout the Royal Court, the kind of fops Impa wouldn't see fit to wipe the edge of her blade on, much less rely upon for policy decisions. The princess and the princess alone was whom she served. Those others could rot in the halls of the damned, as far as she was concerned.

Which was nice in sentiment, but did nothing to correct the growing sense of exasperation she felt on this day.

A few weeks ago, amidst the sudden launch of offensives from the Valley of the Seers, there were reports that there was trouble brewing to the southwest of the kingdom. Just outside of Hyrule's reach, and right before the endless wastes of the Gerudo deserts, reports of raider-like attacks came flooding in. Unlike normal cases of plunder and villainy, it would appear that the monsters that came from the Valley of the Seers were meeting with an unknown enemy…and then the two sides seemed to crash into nearby villages and populated locales the way two wrestling Gorons might destroy an entire cliff side. These "Ravagers," as the locals were calling them, did not seem to be outwardly malicious in Impa's view. Perhaps just lethally clumsy and reckless. Still, to have a rogue force that could turn bad at a moment's notice and begin attacking Hyrule's exposed flank was not something that the princess was terribly enthused with. Therefore, it fell upon Impa and a detachment of the best soldiers she could find in order to reconnoiter the area and hopefully find some much-needed intelligence.

"Hold." Impa commanded. The Hyrulian soldiers, who had been marching nonstop for what had been a few hours now, seemed quite relieved at their leader's order. She gestured behind her, and one of the few Hyrulians on horseback rode alongside her.

"What is it, Commander?" The captain asked. He was a burly man. Not particularly impressive in any field of commanding, but was more than capable as a lieutenant to the real leaders on the battlefield. He had his full Hyrulian armor regalia on, and Impa sympathized with the poor horse that had to carry all of that weight.

"I have the strangest feeling." She said. "Like we're being watched."

"It's possible." The captain, named Welyon, offered. "There is a barbarian village just around these rock formations." He gestured to the mountainous cropping of rock that was a mere stone's throw away from where they were. "It's entirely likely that some of them are spying on us. Hyrulian steel does not often travel this far south unless war is afoot."

"If that is the case, then I suggest that we tread lightly." Impa said, speaking loudly enough so that all of her forces could hear. "I'd rather not start another war on another front because one of us pushed a local shaman by accident." She then turned towards Weylon, a curt frown forming on her face. "And, if you do mind me critiquing captain, I highly doubt that they would take lightly you calling them 'barbarian.'" Her words were cold as ice. She could see Weylon literally wilting in front of her.

"S-sorry, milady." Weylon replied. Impa nodded.

"Accepted. Just keep aware of your surroundings and who you are working with, captain. For once upon a time people like me might have been considered barbarians too."

The attachment began marching again on Impa's signal, and slowly meandered around the rock formation. If Weylon was annoyed with his captain for her calling him on what could be construed as a racist statement, he wasn't showing it. Granted, most people would not be able to read him due to the helmet obscuring his features, but Impa did not need facial expressions to read people. She knew that the man had had his pride wounded, but at the same time was genuinely contrite.

"Permission to speak, commander Impa?" One of the soldiers asked. He had the protective grating to his helmet popped up, revealing his boyish face beneath. Freckled, blue eyes, and a bit of an innocent expression on his face. Impa could tell, just from his tone of voice, that this was his first tour of duty.

"Granted, soldier. What's on your mind?" Impa asked.

"D'ya think we'll be running into heavy resistance from those Ravager types out here, ma'am?" The soldier asked. Impa smiled a little, though did not deign to turn around in the saddle and look at him. She figured the poor boy was embarrassed enough having worked up the nerve to ask his question; if she looked at him now, the poor kid might spontaneously combust.

"It's possible, but unlikely." Impa said after a moment's consideration. "We aren't officially at war with anyone here to the south…so they won't attack us on sight, if that's what you're asking."

"If I do say so, ma'am, that's good enough for me." The soldier replied. This brought a round of chuckling from the attachment of Hyrulians. Even Impa cracked a smile at the soldier's wit.

All joking ceased as they rounded the corner.

There was a village in front of them. Or, rather, what attempted to be a village. Essentially a circle of huts, thatched together poorly, at the foot of a gigantic mountain. There was a large bonfire in the middle of the tents, though it had long since worn down to some flickering embers. There were clear signs of war and damage in the village. Some of the huts were torn, some of them looked like they had been rebuilt a few times, and most importantly there was little sign of life anywhere.

Impa cautiously led her attachment into the village, fully aware that there was not yet a scenario better suited for an ambush than this one. She motioned to Weylon, who ordered everyone to stand on high alert. Everyone, even the joking soldier before, snapped down the protective grating to their helmets. Though no one had their weapons drawn at the ready, there was clear evidence that they were forming a shield wall.

Impa dismounted from her horse in the center of the shield wall, and began walking forward. As she stepped on the clay-like ground, she felt the comforting weight of her weapon on her back. It was a Biggoron Knife, crafted by the Goron people as a thank you to her for slaying a mighty beast deep within their mountains, and many a Moblin and Bulblin and other such foul creatures had fallen to the mighty piece of steel's thirsty edge. She refused to give the weapon a name; by all rights, it was an extension of herself and thus a part of her own being. To name it otherwise would be redundant.

Impa walked directly towards the fire pit, eyes scanning everywhere for even the slightest of details. The fire had once been large, though the ruined wood in the pile implied that it had long since died down. What interested the Sheikah warrior was the placement of some smaller logs at the foot of the pit. From the looks of it, they were newly burnt. The aroma of firewood still hung crisply in the air.

Someone had restarted this fire pit. And recently.

"Hello?" Impa called. "Is anyone around?" She asked.

"They gone, baby. They gone."

The voice was worn, drawling, and weathered, yet still carried the sonorous baritone of a male in the prime of life. Impa turned towards the source of the voice to see a man emerging from one of the huts, throwing aside the cloth that amounted to a "door." He was a giant of a man. Though Impa was close to six feet tall herself, this man easily stood at six and a half. He wore ramshackle clothing and cloth to cover his body (it was clear that he'd patched and re-sewn his pants numerous times), but it was the duster he wore that drew her attention. Muddy brown, with clear and present signs of battle damage. Nicks here. Loose-hanging strands of fabric there. A few patches sewn in as well.

He was lighter skinned than she was, though it was hard to tell considered the dirt and grime covering his face. He looked as though he'd walked through an ash cloud, and rubbed charcoal right under his eyes as a form of war paint. His hair was shaggy and unkempt, and he had a bushy beard that would make some of the manliest men in Hyrulian beer halls green with envy. Again, it was dark brown hair, though the dirt and dust that collected in it made it hard to tell.

He stared at Impa, and flashed a toothy grin. One of his molars was capped with gold.

"If'n you're lookin' for the villagers, they run off a while ago." The man said. "They had it up ta here-" he held his hand to his shoulders. "-with the Moblins and their nonsense. Either stay here and die, or flee inta the mountains and _maybe _die. Easy choice for them, really."

"Who are you?" Impa asked.

"Now ain't that the question?" The man said in his weathered voice. He slowly reached into his duster pocket, and pulled out a pipe. It was as beat up as he looked. He started dropping something inside it, and let it loosely hang in his lips. "'Course, suppose I might as well ask ya the same thing. Who're you?"

"Is it not obvious?" Impa asked, somewhat testily. "We come from the north, from Hyrule. We heard that there were raider attacks to the south, and princess Zelda sent us to investigate."

"Did she now?" The coated man mused. He pulled out a match, struck it against the heel of his boot, and lit up his pipe. Now he seemed to be puffing smoke with each syllable.

"Do you know anything about these attacks?" Impa asked. The coated man let out enough smoke to cover his head in a barely-visible haze, and spoke up.

"Course I knows. I been fightin' in them skirmishes for months now." He said.

"You don't look like a raider." Impa said.

"And you don't look Hylian." The man countered. "What are you, Gerudo? Didn't think that they were too keen on y'all, not since the legends of old…" He drifted off.

"That's beside the point, and you're wasting my time." Impa said. "Now, I'm going to ask you agai-" She was cut off by the man's chuckling. It was a little, high-pitched "hee-hee" sound. Impa found it rather unpleasant.

"Wastin' yer time?" He asked, mocking shock. "Well, I'll be damned. Looks like I _am _wastin' yer time. O'course, that was just ta give _me _time to even the odds."

At that moment, Impa knew that she'd been tricked.

Like ghosts in the mist, men and women of all color and race began emerging from the shadow and from the ruined huts, slowly surrounding the Hyrulian Army attachment. On instinct, the Hyrulians drew their swords and raised their shields. The coated man laughed. It was a hoarse sound, like that of a long-term smoker.

"Heh, heh…that's a good trick there, sweetheart. How long they need ta learn that?" He asked.

Impa was too busy scanning the ranks of the men and women around her. They were all dressed in rags like the man in the middle, and all wore dusters of their own. There were Hylians, there were some barbarian-looking types, she thought she saw some _craols_*, and…was that a Goron in their midst? They all carried shabby weaponry, as if they were modifying and appropriating whatever they could find at the time. Goddess, some of them were carrying tree branches with a large rock tied to the end of it! Someone had tied a cook's knife to the edge of a long…what looked like a flag pole, and fashioned himself a makeshift pike. They were a sorry-ass looking bunch.

But the implied menace radiating off of them was all too real.

"Cat got ya tongue, my dear?" The man spoke again. He seemed to be much more jovial, now that he had his little buddies surrounding him.

"I'll ask again: who are you?" Impa demanded. The man chuckled, and now some of the surrounding rogues began to laugh as well. The man spread his arms out wide, as if gesturing for the world to take in his performance.

"The name's Ishaka*, my dear. And if you're lookin' for what y'all all callin' the 'Ravagers'…you done found us." He said.

"Good." Impa said, her expression hardened. "That saves me the time of hunting down the leader of this pack. I can tell that you and you alone are the commander of these people."

"Commander?" Ishaka asked, as if he was confused and offended by the question. "My lady, I'm hurt. There are no commanders here. We're all jus'…brothers and sisters. United in a cause."

"And what cause would that be?" Impa asked.

"I can tell y'all have fight in ya. Y'all want the truth. Tell ya what. Play a game with me, and all y'all wanna hear…I'll speak."

A whistle went through the crowd. The Ravagers surrounding the Hyrulians were grinning now and wolf-whistling, men and women alike, at the last comment. Ishaka glanced around in an amused fashion, and then turned to Impa with a sly grin.

"As much as I like a pretty lady to look at…" He said, reaching into his duster's pocket and pulling out what looked like a pipe and a match. "…I like a lady that can talk her way out of the dictionary." He scraped the match off of the sole of his boot, and held the lit match to the pipe he dangled loosely from his lips. "How about a game o' wits, sweetheart? Been so long since us Ravagers got to hear someone on the other side with a way with words."

"What's in it for us?" Impa asked. Ishaka shrugged.

"Ain't saying much, but it might help y'all get out of this sticky wicket, if you don't mind me sayin' so." He said. "Here, I'll start: a treasure chest with no lock. No need for a key. But there ain't no denyin' that what's golden inside it…is most precious to either you or me. What am I?"

"Easy. An egg." Impa said curtly. There were whistles and whoops from the Ravager crowd. The Hyrulian soldiers, still huddled into a shield wall, glanced at one another nervously. Ishaka grinned.

"Not bad, sister. Not bad. Your turn." He gestured to her. Impa scrunched her brow in thought. Then it came to her with a confident smile.

"You cannot see me, but you feel my kiss. Through warm or cold, I'm there. But just when you beg for and need me most…I vanish into thin air. What am I?"

Now it was Ishaka's turn to look slightly puzzled. The Hyrulians looked a little confident. However, he soon brightened in realization.

"Ooo…that's a good one, sister." He said. "Never heard a pretty little line about the wind like that one!"

The subtle look of disappointment on Impa's face was all the Ravagers needed to start clapping and whooping.

"Les'see if you get this one. Few have." Ishaka said. "When I come to you, you cherish me. You can't wait to tell the whole world about me. But when you loosen your lip, lemme give you a tip: that is precisely the moment you'll lose me. What am I?"

"A secret." Impa said. Ishaka blinked once in surprise. The Ravagers whooped and hollered, now thoroughly entertained with this display. Despite themselves, the Hyrulian soldiers were starting to enjoy it too. Even if they weren't sure where this was all going.

"Here's one for you." Impa said, her smirk growing. She slowly started walking towards the Ravager leader, closing their gap from about twenty feet to fifteen. "I can run…but I cannot walk. I have a mouth…but I cannot talk. I have a head, but I cannot think. And I have a bed but never sleep. What am I?" She placed her hand on her hip, confidence radiating off of her.

Ishaka looked rather confused for a moment. He took a puff from his pipe. Inhaled, and then another one. He seemed lost in thought. And then the answer came to him.

"You're a river."

Impa nodded curtly, the disappointment clear on her face. Now Ishaka started walking, circling around Impa while slowly closing the distance.

"This one I don't envy ya." Ishaka slowly drew one of his knives; an ugly looking thing with a slightly serrated edge. "I've only told this riddle a few times. Ain't no one got this one before."

"I am ready." Impa said, now with both hands on her hips. Ishaka grinned, a toothy look.

"Oh, no doubt." He said.

"What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have, what the rich require…and what contented men desire? What does the miser spend, the spendthrift save…and all men carry unto their grave?"

He stared at Impa expectantly, twirling his knife between his fingers like a drum stick. Every now and then, it caught a glint of sunlight and gleamed in the light.

Impa scratched her chin in thought. A look of worry was exchanged by some of the Hyrulian guard. Had the great Impa been stumped? Not one of them could get the answer, no matter how hard they thought.

Sighing, Impa shrugged.

"Nothing."

Ishaka stopped mid-step, nearly choking on the fumes of his pipe. He blew the smoke out, a soft haze around his face.

"I'm sorry?" He asked. Impa shrugged.

"The answer is nothing." She said. "Our greatest love is to be alive, and our greatest fear is of the unknown that comes with death. Poor have nothing, rich need nothing. Misers never spend, and spendthrifts never save. And when we die, all we have is our name. Therefore, the only thing in common with all of these different themes…is _nothing._"

There was a pregnant pause. Ishaka looked blown away. And then he recovered, and laughed.

"Well, I'll be damned. A first time for everything."

The Ravagers exploded into cheers. Impa looked quite pleased with herself.

"You should think twice before intimidating me with your little knife." Impa chided. "Sheikah don't scare."

"'Little knife', eh?" Ishaka chuckled. "How about two?" He asked. He drew the second slowly, letting it sing off of the sheath, and then twirled them both expertly. There were some whistles from the crowd of Ravagers. Most of them had taken to sitting down or crouching, instead of being poised to leap into battle. "What do you think of that, sister?" He asked.

Impa just laughed.

"What do I think?" She asked. "I think that those aren't knives…"

She drew the massive blade from her back, and with one arm held it horizontally away from her body. Judging by the steely way her arm held, it was as if she wasn't even lifting a thing. The crowd began to "Ooo" in shock.

"This is a knife." Impa said.

That did it. The Ravagers exploded into cheers. Ishaka stared at her, and then started laughing at her heartily. He swirled around, facing his men.

"Ravagers, stand down!" He said.

In perfect unison, these rag-tag gang of outlaws sheathed their weapons and stood at ease. Ishaka turned back around to face Impa before speaking again.

"I ain't much of a fan o' the Hyrulian Royal Family…" He said. Then he broke into a sly smile. "…But I'll be damned if I make an enemy of a lady as interesting as you are, miss…"

"Impa." Impa said coolly, having sheathed her knife. "You can call me General."

"I think I will." Ishaka said. "You got some stones, Sheikah. Ain't no harm gonna come to you or your men in this place. As long as we have anything to say about it, that is." He extended his hand. Impa returned the handshake.

"Welcome to the Valley of the Damned, Sheikah." Ishaka said.

"The Valley of the Damned?" Impa asked. "We've always called it the Southern Vale."

"Well good for all y'all. Yer wrong." Ishaka said. "This place is deader than a gutted Dodongo these days. Nothin' but pain an' misery and sufferin'."

"What has happened?" Impa asked. "That is what we were dispatched to find out."

"Everything you can imagine. An' then some." Ishaka said. His jovial manner seemed to have dropped. "Whoever the hell that sorceress in the northeast is, I guess she done figured her armies could get some practice cuttin' the heads offa the locals down here." He said. He took out his pipe, and spat bitterly into the ground. "That's why we started in the first damned place. Sick to death'a these damned beasts killin' people. Innocent people!" He growled.

"It seems there has been a lot of collateral damage to your war of peace." Impa noted.

"Don't patronize, Sheikah. It don't fit ya." Ishaka growled. "The people here would rather die knowin' that someone's fghtin' for them, rather than dyin' afraid an' alone. Like they don't mean nothin'. Just dirt to be trodden on. Well, not 'slong as I'm here. We are brothers and sisters in arms." He gestured to the Ravagers around him. "We been ravaged by war, and we shall in turn be ravagers in vengeance. Oo-rah." He didn't say that last word so much as spit it, the last syllable snapping off of his lips.

"OO-RAH!" The Ravagers barked in unison.

"Impressive mettle." Impa said. "Tell me though, what have you accomplished by yourselves?" She asked.

"We drove off a band of raiding Moblins from killin' civilians a few days back." Ishaka said. "Gained a few soldiers for the cause in doin' so."

"I see." Impa said. "Have you gained back any of the villages that have been lost?"

There was a pause. Ishaka sighed.

"Not yet." He said. "We're focusing on savin' peoples' lives first. Then, when we got enough, we take back what's ours."

"By yourselves?" Impa asked. Ishaka shrugged.

"Who else we got?" He looked at her and snorted. "You?"

Impa smiled.

"Yes. Us." She said. "We didn't come down here to do nothing. We wanted to know what was going on. Of course, the original plan was for me to report back myself…but…" She trailed off.

"But what?" Ishaka asked.

"…But a first-hand account might do better things to generate sympathy from the nobles who will never know what it is like living under the guillotine of war." She said. Ishaka cackled.

"You're suggestin' that we Ravagers leave the valley, trek up north with y'all, and then throw my scruffy ass in front'a the princess?" He snorted. "You think she _won't _throw my raggedy band of hardasses out on her doorstep for getting dirt on her welcome mat?" He challenged.

Impa sighed.

"I cannot promise that your presence will not…upset…some of the nobility." She said. Before Ishaka could protest, she spoke again. "But the only opinion that matters in the end is that of the princess. And I can promise you that she is not one to take your concerns lightly."

Ishaka looked suspicious.

"You build the lady up quite a bit, sweetheart. Is she really all that?" He asked. Impa smirked.

"I'll bet you ten rupees that I'm right." She said.

This brought a cackle out of the Ravager captain.

"Deal! If'n there's one thing that I respect, it's a lady who knows the value of a good old-fashioned bet." He frowned. "But what am I s'ppos'd to tell to the locals? That I'm just leavin' with them?" He asked. "They won't think too highly 'a that, I don't s'ppose."

"You need not worry." Impa said. "They will come with us. And when they ask why they must leave their homes, you will tell them that _we shall return._" She stared into his eyes. "They will listen."

Ishaka pondered her words for a moment. And then he spoke.

"Deal. Make camp here with the majority o' my men fer the night. I'll be back wit' th' villagers…what's left 'a them." He said sadly.

He led some of the Ravagers with him into the mountains, remarkably fleet of foot, and in a few moments they were out of sight.

Impa instructed the Hyrulian guard to set up a watch, and keep an eye out for any approaching Moblin forces. But most importantly, to keep an eye out for future refugees.

She felt a twinge within her, a tickling within her heart. Something, though she couldn't explain it, was reaching into her, almost questioning. She smiled. The princess already knew. She was miles away and safe within the castle, and yet she already knew the results of Impa's exploits.

That Ravager was really going to miss his ten rupees.

A/N: A little prologue to what has swiftly become one of my favorite games on the Wii U. May you enjoy this journey.

_craol = A person of mixed birth, usually between that of a Hylian and that of a desert dweller. Typically distinguished by tan, olive-colored skin and bright eye colors unbefitting their complexion (ie. Blue, green, etc.)_

"_Ishaka" = pronounced "Yee-Shah-Kah"_


	2. Prologue II: Politics Are Tiresome

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

Ishaka had returned late in the night, long after the last light of day had slipped behind the mountainous horizon, and brought with him many villagers.

Well, at first Impa thought that there were many of them, considering the initial surge of shabby-looking souls walking behind the Ravager leader, but after a few moments her hopes began to sink. There were maybe a few dozen people that weren't Ravagers that had come down from the mountains. The rest were either dead or had long since fled off. Ishaka insisted that the settler families stay close to the bonfire in the center of the town, as most of them hadn't been able to build fires in the mountains for fear of giving their position away.

They seemed grateful if slightly suspicious to see Hyrulian soldiers in their land, and it was not long before the youngest of them fell asleep. They were all tired, ragged-looking, and clearly malnourished. Impa tried not to think about what would have happened to them if she and the soldiers had arrived a few weeks later. She was impressed with the tenacity of Ishaka and his "Ravagers," but tenacity only goes so far on an empty stomach. Some of her soldiers offered their rations to the youngest children, and the parents seemed grateful, if silent out of suspicion.

"I see some a' yer soldiers slippin' the kids choc'late." Ishaka said. He'd come up beside Impa a few moments before, his silence unbefitting a man of his large stature. Impa had been trained far too long and far too much to be surprised by the silence of a compatriot, but she…noticed his elusiveness. Perhaps this explained how he had survived so long without any help in these mountains.

"We will break for Hyrule and the castle at first light." Impa said. "Do you know what kind of pace these villagers can make? I will not lose any of them due to my over-exertion of them."

"You worry too much." Ishaka said. "They be too 'xcited by the prospect o' food and drink an' shelter ta care 'bout jes' how long it'll take. 'ell, I'd a' figure they'd walk a mile in broken glass ta get out a' here."

"I am not sure that that would be best for them." Impa said, wrinkling her nose. Ishaka had taken out a pipe again, and chuckled as he lit it up.

"And I'm jes' as sure that you need'a learn'a hy_per_bole, Sheikah. Never und'restimate des'pration in people." He said. Impa nodded.

"A fair point. The villagers will stay within a protective circle of my best soldiers. We will keep them safe." She said. Ishaka nodded.

"Fair 'nough. I'll have my boys traipsin' 'round th' perim'ter a' yer little circle. Any Moblins tryna getcha? We'll get 'em first." He said.

"You are awfully receptive to our offers of help." Impa said. "Most…native people are not as friendly to Hyrule." She chose her words carefully there, not wanting to offend the Ravager captain with the wrong choice of words. Words like "barbarian" or "outlander" or "filthy savages" (that last one, said by one particularly clueless nobleman in Zelda's court, had nearly resulted in Impa shedding blood in the throne room. No one would have condemned her if she'd followed through) came to mind. Ishaka seemed to sense this inner turmoil, and just chuckled drily.

"Doncha worry, Shiekah. Me 'n the boys ain't gonna get dirt on th' carpet. Yer princess will find us…pro'ply trained. Like good doggies." He cackled a little bit, and then took a puff from his pipe.

"Be that as it may, I thank you for your willingness to listen to our case." Impa said.

"Yer actin' like I'm doin' this cuz I'm a big ol' softie." Ishaka said. "I jus' want my ten rupees!" He laughed again, and then excused himself for the night. Impa watched him saunter off into one of the tensts that the Ravagers had appropriated, and then turned in for the night herself.

Though the goings were slow, Impa thanked the Goddesses that there was no action during the return trip to Hyrule Castle. She had sent a runner ahead of the advancing attachment to notify the princess of her impending return, and that they brought with them refugees from the south. Hopefully, by the time that they arrived, there would be some semblance of a refugee camp for these villagers when they arrived.

The villagers all walked at a steady pace, and did not complain one bit during the trek. The most they asked for was for the youngest of their number (and the sick) to ride on some of the horses when they got tired, and if the Hyrulian soldiers were miffed at having to walk every now and then, they werent showing it. Even Captain Weylon seemed not to mind relinquishing his trusted steed so that a dirty-faced girl no older than five could sit on it for a little bit.

The Ravagers were scattered out and about and around the Hyrulian rank and file. From an aerial view, Impa imagined that they looked like flies swarming a carcass. No rhyme or reason to their movement, yet all the same they had a singular goal: protection. She did not mind that. Though she wondered what would happen if a battle were to break out. She had yet to see these Ravagers fight; it seemed unlikely that they would hold up, considering their woefully underequipped weaponry. In fact, some of them seemed as if they were going to war with nothing more than their bare fists! Admittedly, these were the largest of the Ravager numbers, but the fact remained that an "army" without weapons was not an army conducive to success.

Ishaka had snaked his way through the Hyrulian shield wall, and found himself walking beside Impa atop her horse.

"We close to th' castle?" Ishaka asked.

"Just over these hills." Impa gestured. They'd been marching for a little over two days now, and Impa was starting to feel the strain of lack of sleep and bathing set in. Even a hardcore warrior like her enjoyed a good dip in the river every now and then. She imagined that she looked as dusty and unkempt as Ishaka at this point.

"Fair 'nough. Just give me a heads up when y'all can see it." Ishaka said. He disappeared back out into the crowd of Ravagers outside before she could say anything.

After about twenty minutes more of marching, they reached the top of a hill crest to see Hyrule Castle in all of its glory.

Ancient stone and marble and other precious material made up this hallowed place, with spires going so high that from a distance it would appear that they scratched the clouds. Appearances were deceiving, Impa knew. After all, it was a perspective trick to make it seem like the castle was bigger (and thus more deadly) than it actually was. The first builders of the castle and the surrounding town had recognized that, and utilized it to scare off and psyche out all but the bravest (and craziest) of invaders.

"There it is." Impa said, loud enough so that Ishaka could hopefully hear. "There is your refuge." She took delight in the relieved looks in the eyes of the villagers. This was precisely what kept her going when the days got rough: helping others.

She suddenly heard someone whistling. It was Ishaka, who had fallen in step directly behind the Hyrulian line. Slowly but surely, the Ravagers fell into place behind him, forming a two-by-two column of people. Two people wide, and many deep, the column looked rather intimidating. It also looked vaguely professional.

Impa was impressed. These Ravagers clearly did not want to make a bad impression on the princess.

Eventually, they reached the walled entrance to Castle Town. There was a cry from high atop the ramparts, and soon the drawbridge was lowered so that the long line of folks could cross over the moat. Impa made sure that she was at the very front of the line, so as to assuage the gawking citizens inside that all was indeed well.

There was a marked difference between the Hyrulian villagers and the scared settlers to the south. The Hyrulians looked cleaner and well-fed and seemed to be dressed with some semblance of pride. They were gawking rather badly at the settlers, and Impa could feel their embarassment behind her.

"Captain!" She barked. Weylon rode up alongside her.

"Ma'am?" He inquired. With her shoulder, Impa gestured towards the growing crowd.

"Crowd control. No need to embarrass our new friends." She said. Weylon nodded, and began barking out orders.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please keep a safe distance! There's nothing to see here. Return to your homes…"

She could see him conversing with some of the more curious townsfolk, though they weren't talking loud enough for her to hear. She hoped that he was using tact. In conversing with townsfolk, Weylon had a rather unfortunate tendency to be brutally honest. Impa did not mind this, but Zelda had spent more than enough time lecturing her on "politically expedient language" or some such nonsense. Impa knew that the princess hated having to spit out this overwrought nonsense just as much as Impa hated hearing it.

Goddesses, her ascension to the Queenhood could not come fast enough. Impa relished the chance to stroll around the halls of the castle unbothered by insipid noblemen who continually confused her with some rabble off of the streets.

She glanced ahead of the pack, and saw a member of the Royal Guard* waiting for her. Impa recognized this one. She had been the one to personally knight him to the role.

"Milady Impa." He said in that perfectly polite language that all Royal Guards used. "The princess requests your presence, as well as the presence of the leader of your new 'ally,' as she put it."

"Understood, Gawain." Impa said. "And what of the settlers?" She asked. The Royal Guardsman did not break expression.

"They are allowed to stay on the courtyard in the meantime, until something is decided for their future living arrangement." This drew a surprised glance from Impa. The Royal Courtyard? Well, it was certainly big enough for the settlers, but how on earth had they allowed that? She asked this very question.

There was a twinkle in Sir Gawain's eye, and Impa couldn't help but smile as his professional façade gave way to the cocky young man who'd once been arrested for stealing from the royal wine cellar and negotiated a position into the _Corsairs* _in lieu of a jail term.

"The princess negotiated the deal, milady. It was met with…a reaction." He said. Anything more, and he'd start laughing. Impa nodded.

"Understood, Sir. Thank you for the information. I will leave it to you to let the settlers get comfortable on the courtyard, and shall take my leave. It shall give you a chance to finally laugh, so that you do not break a rib holding it in." She said with a wink.

Gawain's chest heaved momentarily, as if stifling a guffaw. He weakly managed a "Yes, milady" before beginning to corral the settlers towards the Royal courtyard. Impa called for Ishaka to follow her towards the castle, leaving his Ravagers behind.

"I don't like bein' parted from my brothers and sisters. You sure they all right?" Ishaka asked. Impa nodded.

"I assure you, Ishaka. Royal Guardsman Gawain is the one man I would trust to properly interact with your men and women and _not _start an incident." She said. Ishaka grinned, his golden tooth cap gleaming in the sunlight.

"He hold 'is liquor well, I take it?" He asked. Impa smirked.

"Tried stealing some of ours." She replied. Ishaka howled with laughter after a brief moment of stunned silence, before quieting himself as the duo entered the castle.

Impa nodded to the two Royal Guardsmen manning the door, and led Ishaka through the main hallway. She could tell that the Ravager had never seen anything like this place before. He'd gone silent, and out of the corner of her eye she could see him gawking like a little babe watching Goron fireworks for the first time.

They reached a large, mahogany door. The ornate carvings in it showcased a facsimile of the princess, as well as a clear and pronounced carving of the Royal Family Crest and that of the Triforce woven into it. Impa turned towards Ishaka and stared at him intently.

"Listen, Ishaka. I have alluded to the princess' hospitality, but that does not give you a free excuse to act as…an uncouth." She said flatly. Ishaka nodded, choosing to pass on a free and easy joke. "Speak when spoken too, mind your manners as best as you can, and for Goddesses' sake do not let the more…stubborn nobles bother you." She finished.

"Understood, Sheikah. Les'go see if'n yer princess is all that." He said.

Impa opened the door.

The throne room was much more spacious than Ishaka had imagined. Marble, limestone, and stained glass windows. It was the kind of place he read of in storybooks. Except now here he was in person. He glanced at his shabby appearance, and thanked the Goddesses that he remembered to tie his beard and shaggy hair. He looked…presentable, but nonetheless felt downright dirty in this clean place.

Beside him, Impa bowed reverently.

"Your highness, we have returned."

Ishaka noticed her bowing, and quickly matched the move with a subtle little nod of his head as well.

Princess Zelda was dressed in her full regalia this morning. A glittering tiara and necklace adorned her, and her dress was immaculate. Ishaka didn't know what to say. She was every bit as beautiful and fair as the stories said. She turned her piercing yet warm eyes towards him, and smiled softly.

"Welcome to Hyrule, good sir. And to whom do I owe the pleasure of adressing?"

Ishaka, to his credit, at least managed to form a proper sentence.

"I-Ishaka, yer highness. M'name's Ishaka." He finished. Zelda looked slightly curious.

"Do you not carry a last name?" She asked. Ishaka sighed, shaking his head.

"No, ma'am. I be alone*." He said. Zelda nodded sympathetically.

"I see. And I offer my condolences." She said. Off to the side, there was the sound of a clearing of a throat. Ishaka turned to see that on one side of the throne room there were several stone chairs, each with a man (or, much less frequently, a woman) sitting in high regalia. The same number of chairs were on the other side. There were six on each side, and twelve in total.

"If I may be so bold, your highness," the coughing noble began. He was a short and plump man, with a bushy white mustache and eyebrows to go with it. His monocle was held in by an impressively furrowed brow. "When did we start allowing common folk into your throne room, barring a ceremony?" Zelda darted her eyes over to the offending noblemen, and her tone was that of a mother calmly addressing a pouty child.

"Patience, Lord Fawlty. All shall be revealed in due time. And that is no way to treat a guest of the Royal Palace, is it?" She asked. Lord Fawlty harrumphed, and fell silent. One of the other noblemen, sitting on the other side and across from Fawlty, spoke next.

"You look as though you've travelled a long way. Where do you hail?" This man was long and lean, with a pleasant countenance. He was in his early fifties, yet still possessed a healthy amount of hair that hadn't begun graying yet. Lord Grantham was one of Zelda's favorite noblemen for his reasonable approach to dealing with issues, and it was a very poorly-kept secret that she meant to name him minister of Hyrule's interior at the moment of her coronation. A poorly-kept secret, in that everyone knew of her intentions…except Lord Grantham.

"From the southwest, sir." Ishaka said. "Th' Valley a' th' Damned." Impa winced. Ishaka might call it by his slang and think nothing of it, but that did not mean that the noblemen were familiar with the term. And curse words were one of the fastest ways to offend nobility.

"Seems a harsh place. I am not familiar with it." One of the noblemen, a sickly looking man named Reedus, said. "What makes it Damned?"

"…The rabble within…" Lord Fawlty muttered under his breath.

"Lord Fawlty." Princess Zelda warned, her tone never rising above normal speaking levels. She looked again at Ishaka. "I imagine that you refer to the Souhern Vale, yes?"

"Yes'm. That's th' place. We don' call it that, though." Ishaka said. "At leas', not since th' raids started."

"Forgive me for my bluntness, but are raids not common already in your territory?" Lord Reedus asked. Ishaka shrugged.

"We're a rough 'n tumble place, yeah. Don't mean that we ask fer Moblins ta come in and kill people."

"Is it as bad as we fear?" The princess asked. Ishaka shrugged again.

"Depends on yer def'nition a' bad. It ain't good, tha's fer sure."

"I understand that you brought with you refugees from the Southern Vale." Zelda said. "I promise you that they will be treated well, as long as you need to stay." She sent a preemptive warning glance towards Lord Fawlty, as if daring the man to say something offensive. Wisely, the old noble held his tongue. Zelda turned back towards Ishaka. "I imagine that you and your travelling companions are worn from your journey here. Take this time to rest them well. You are safe within our walls."

Ishaka nodded.

"Thank ya fer yer court'sy, yer highness. We ain't too messy." He offered. Zelda smiled slightly, but Ishaka was able to notice it. Lord Grantham cleared his throat.

"As good as it is to have some more bodies within the kingdom, the issue of the Sorceress to the North remains to be dealt with. Perhaps our…friend here could offer some insight?" He turned towards Ishaka. "My apologies, friend. I do not know what to call you." He admitted. Ishaka grinned, flashing his golden tooth cap.

"Call me Ishaka. I don't got a people. Jes' got me. There ain't no thing like me, 'cept me!" He said. Lord Grantham hid a smile behind his hand. Zelda nodded.

"Then I think that for now this meeting is adjourned. I would like Lord Grantham, Impa, our friend Ishaka, and General Tiberius to stay here. We have manners to discuss."

The noblemen and women that were not named by the princess bowed, and took their leave. While most of them put on a polite smile as they passed by, Lord Fawlty was the only one that outright refused to make eye contact with the Ravager leader. As soon as the doors closed, Ishaka's eyes narrowed.

"That Fawlty guy's a jackass." He growled. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he had spoken out loud. Impa looked horrified. Thankfully for both of them, Zelda was clearly trying not to smile.

"He does have…a rather blunt manner. Hardly politically savvy at times, I fear." She admitted. Lord Grantham rolled his eyes.

"The man is only where he is because of his family's importance in building the walls of this city, hundreds of years ago." He muttered. "If ever there were the epitome of money buying power, he would be it."

"Ach, but when the time comes for the adults to talk, we shoo him out with the rest of the children." The man Ishaka assumed was Lord Tiberius spoke. He was an unassuming man, with a caesarean haircut and pronounced bags under his eyes. Ishaka could tell just from looking at him that this was the much-beleaguered Hyrulian Lord of War. He had brilliant red hair and a face full of freckles, but even despite his worn appearance the man looked sharp as steel. It was in his eyes. They were the eyes of a predator. A true military leader.

"I do not believe that we've met. I am Lord Justinian Tiberius." Lord Tiberius extended a handshake towards Ishaka. Ishaka gripped his hand, only for Tiberius to pull him in closer. "If you dishonor me, I shall burn you to ash."

"Peace, Justinian." Zelda rolled her eyes. "Ishaka is not someone to be fooled by your false bravado."

"I can see that." Tiberius said with a smile. "It's just that you can never be too careful measuring the fortitude of your allies." Ishaka nodded.

"Charmed, gen'ral." He said.

Zelda got up from her throne, and walked over to a table nearby. A map of Hyrule and its surrounding provinces was splayed across the top. Pieces representing Hyrulian armies and the armies of the Sorceror to the North were scattered across the map. Ishaka had heard elders in the villages to the south deride the treatment of war as a game. He bit his tongue at the sight of this display.

"The Sorceror moved her armies around and beneath Hyrule." Tiberius began, pointing from the point on the map indicating the Valley of the Seers and tracing his finger down and around towards the Southern Vale. "Yet despite all evidence that they had little trouble going through there, they have yet to attack from these mountains." He said, perplexed. "Any general worth his or her salt would seek to capitalize on a pincer movement like this."

"Yer und'rest'matin' th' mountains." Ishaka said. "One Ravager is good 'nough to lure a platoon o' Moblins up in 'em…and then kill 'em all." At this Tiberius looked perplexed.

"Via swordplay? Ridiculous." He said.

"'Smore than one way 'a skin a cat." Ishaka said. "'Smore than one way 'a kill'a man." He said. "It ain't too easy balancin' up in them mountains, if'n ya catch my drift."

Tiberius nodded. Grantham raised an eyebrow.

"Hardly what one would call conventional warfare." He said. Ishaka shrugged.

"Convention ain't shit 'gainst a rockslide." Ishaka said. "We fightin' fer our lives. Reg'lations go out th' window." He said. "Pardon my tongue, yer highness." He said, looking at the princess and her slightly blushed cheeks. Impa's eyes were as big as dinner plates. Did this Ravager have no concept of courtesy? Zelda, to her credit, took it in stride.

"I can sympathize with your plight. It truly seems desperate, and you are to be commended for holding out as long as you have. But now you have Hyrulian help. Things will be better. I promise." She said. Ishaka raised an eyebrow.

"Yer off'rin' ta help us?" He asked. Zelda nodded.

"A good ruler extends her hand towards all within her reach. You and the settlers, as well as the Ravagers, are no exception. You have no quarrel with us it seems, and we have no quarrel with you. An alliance seems all but a formality at this point." Ishaka seemed to ponder her words. Impa thought he was taking too long for her liking.

"You are not being asked to be taken into Hyrule. It is simply two entities bonding together against a common cause. Then we shall leave you and your settlers to return to the Southern Vale."

"T'ain't fer me, Sheikah." Ishaka said. "I ain't the one whose home's bein' wrecked. I ain't got no home 'cept th' one I make. Ain't got no family other than my Ravagers. It's them settl'rs, th' ones that ain't got a fightin' chance, that I been fightin' fer. If'n yer gonna help us against that Sorceress an' her army…I can take yeh up on it." He said. "We Ravagers will fight with ya." He said to the princess. Zelda smiled warmly.

"Your words fill me with happiness. Perhaps with another ally in our midst we can work to break the hold that the Sorceress holds on much of the land." She said. Her next glance was towards Lord Tiberius. "What would make for our next best course of action?" She asked. Lord Tiberius gestured towards the western edge of the map.

"The Gorons have been complaining of Bulblin incursions to the foot of their mountains for weeks now. We hadn't been able to truly send them any troops without weakening the defense of the keep…but…" he looked up at Ishaka. The Ravager leader rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Ya want me ta show y'all all how it's done. I getcha." He said. Tiberius frowned.

"I assure you that we are more than capable of handling the situation in tandem with your Ravagers." He said. Ishaka snorted.

"Yeh need ta see how _we _fight, Gen'ral, 'afore ya act like yer men ain't paper people." He said. "If'n we're gonna be allies, ya might wanna take some notes."

Tiberius looked a little red in the face, but he was silent. Lord Grantham chuckled.

"Justinian, he has a point. Hyrulian armor has always had trouble with the Goron mountains. These Ravagers seem relatively adept at unconventional warfare. Consider it an audition for their troops?" He asked. Lord Tiberius looked pensive for a moment. Then he sighed.

"You will have one shot for things to go your way. Otherwise, I order your entire army to retreat from the battle and the professionals shall take over." He said.

It was cold, but not altogether unsurprising considering the man. Tiberius was a man with decades of war experience both as a soldier and as a leader of men. If he had developed a stubborn reputation for what constituted successful warfare and what didn't, he could hardly be blamed. It was in his blood. Ishaka, to his credit, was receptive.

"Yeh won't need ta." He said with a wink.

"I think that is enough planning for now." Zelda said. "I imagine that Ishaka and his troops are tired and hungry. Edmund?" She turned towards Lord Grantham.

"Yes, your highness?"

"See to it that food is prepared to send out to the courtyard for the Ravagers and the refugees. Keep it simple; I do not want them to get sick." She glanced at Ishaka and then added one last tidbit. "Alcohol is allowed, but be swift to cut it off if things get…rowdy." She bowed, and took her leave. Grantham followed right behind her, discussing the finer points of her orders. Tiberius exited as well, no doubt headed towards the barracks to start drawing up plans for the upcoming attack.

That left Impa and Ishaka remaining in the throne room. They looked at each other. Impa put her hands on her hips, a smirk curling on her lips. Growling something undecipherable and unprintable, Ishaka rummaged through his pockets until he found a small little pouch.

He was gonna miss those ten rupees.

_**HYLIAN CODEX**_

_**Royal Guard**__ – The Royal Guard of Hyrule are considered the cream of the crop, and is a position of much prestige. They are distinguished by their impeccably shined armor, as well as sashes of red and blue draped across their shoulders during duty. These are the soldiers who are only to guard the castle of Hyrule, and each takes an oath of total allegiance to the ruling regent. It takes years of training to be named a member of the guard, and the initiation process has become almost as mythical as the Guardsmens' devotion to the ruler: stories of lying on the shore as the tide comes in for hours on end to the point of near-hypothermia all to prove resilience, or of climbing the Goron Mountains in full armor to the summit of one of the peaks at a timed pace all give the Guardsmen their legendary reputation as Hyrule's best. The Guards Corps, to their credit, do nothing to dissuade these rumors. Royal Guardsmen are to maintain a stoic face at all times while on duty, allowing themselves not even a smile, and must speak in perfectly didactic Hylian as if everyone they speak to is their ruler. The washout rate is estimated to be around 90%._

_**Corsairs – **__For convicted criminals in Hyrule, the most common choices are either jailtime or even execution, depending on the severity of the crime. A much less-chosen option, though no less valid, is to join the Corsairs. For lack of a better purpose, the Corsairs are a military regiment intentionally shunted into the very worst battlefield conditions in order to relieve the Hyrulian ranks, or to accomplish the missions that no Hyrulian general is crazy enough to sign off on. As they are convicted criminals, in theory the Corsairs cannot refuse such an order, as they have revoked their rights as citizens by committing their crimes. While some would see this as an inhumane practice of indentured servitude, many convicts opt for this program as it promises a complete expunging of one's criminal record upon the completion of a mandatory five-year tour of duty. Of course, that is assuming that a Corsair is able to survive the tour. Upon completion of duty, most Corsairs choose to stay in the Hyrulian army, or return to civilian life as respectable citizens. Records on Corsairs who relapse to a life of crime are scarce, not so much because they are hard to find but because the legion truly seems to impose a sort of order on these mens' (and some womens') lives. Not all criminals are eligible for the service, depending on their severity or depravity of their crimes._

"_**Carrying a last name" – **__Hyrulians typically refer to themselves on a full name basis when in a formal setting, especially when interacting with nobility. Thus, while his friends would know Talon as "Talon" or even "Farmer Talon," in a formal setting he would refer to himself as "Talon Crowfield." For a citizen to not take a last name implies one of two things: 1.) that the person in question is a runaway or refuses association with his/her family, or much more tragically 2.) the person in question is an orphan, and therefore has no family to speak of. Marrying into a family offers the opportunity to take upon a 'new' last name, though this is usually left to the discretion of the person in question._


	3. Prologue III: First Strike

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

Impa arose early that morning, as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Long before any of the maids had awoken to begin their daily duties of cleaning the castle, the Sheikah warrior had already bathed and dressed. She was thankful for the seamstress that had fashioned her multiple sets of clothing for war, and made a mental note to thank them upon her return.

She made sure that the long strand of hair she let hang in front of her face was properly and tightly braided, and took a look at herself in the mirror. She looked as a warrior should. Precisely the point. Though traditionally the Sheikah had been once considered a barbarian tribe, over the ages her family's decorum had adjusted over the years to place the priority of protecting the Royal Family over that of tribal tradition. The two blood-red beads she slipped her hair through, brushing the strand out of her face upon completion, were subtle yet ever-important references to her heritage and her ancient tribe. They had been forged of pure glass, smithed by a Goron forge for the sole purpose of tribal décor.

Satisfied that she was dressed in full combat regalia, Impa glanced out the window of her room. The sun had not yet risen fully. Light was _barely _beginning to creep into the field of vision, but she estimated that it would be a full hour before the light became colored red. She figured now was as good a time as any to meditate.

Stretching her rug across the floor of her room, Impa gently knelt down into seiza position, resting her hands on her knees. Closely her eyes, she breathed in deeply and began clearing her mind.*

When she opened her eyes after what seemed like a mere moment, Impa was pleased to see that the hour she predicted had indeed passed. Slowly getting back up to her feet, the Sheikah warrior grabbed her Biggoron Knife off of its mantle-bound weapon rack and fastened it to the back of her armor. It was time for the most dangerous mission of the day.

Waking the princess.

Impa approached the door to the princess' chambers. The handmaidens were all waiting outside the door, gingerly pressed against the wall to see if there were any sounds of life inside. Nothing they could hear. Impa wordlessly nodded to the handmaidens, and then opened the door.

The room was impeccably kept as always, and the canopied bed was drawn. From within, Impa could hear the very un-dignified noise of snoring. She fought the urge to smile. After making sure that none of the handmaidens were within the line of fire, Impa cleared her throat.

"Good morning, Princess Zel-"

She was interrupted by a very large pillow being whipped at her face at the speed of an enraged Cucco*. Deftly and without blinking, Impa turned her head to the side so that the fluffy missile missed the mark, hitting the side of the wall with a barely-audible _whump_. Impa cleared her throat.

"Your highness. It is time to awaken." She said. There was a grumbling not unlike a furious Moblin, and soon the canopy was pulled aside so that the princess could emerge from slumber. Impa suppressed the urge to laugh at the sight of her liege. Zelda gave new meaning to the phrase "bed head."

Through bleary, blood-shot eyes, Zelda spoke.

"Speak what is on your mind and I will have you ritualistically disemboweled." The princess said. Impa rolled her eyes.

"Good morning to you too, your highness." Impa gestured to the shuddering handmaidens. "Your handmaidens are here to help you get ready."

Impa politely excused herself from the room to allow her liege and the maidens some privacy, and leaned against the marble wall outside in the hallway.

After what was around twenty minutes, Zelda emerged looking as fresh as she did during the meeting with Ishaka the previous day. Impa raised an eyebrow.

"Your proclivity to dressing sharply on a moment's notice never ceases to amaze, princess." Impa said. Zelda smiled.

"One of the many skills a princess learns: the ability to be ready in a moment's notice." She glanced around. "It is awfully quiet. How early is it?"

"I reckon around six. Maybe six thirty at the latest." Impa said. Zelda wrinkled her nose.

"I fail to see how you rise so easily." Zelda said. "And with so little…drama." She addeed with a slight tone of embarassment. Impa smiled.

"Do not worry, Zelda. You have come far closer to hitting me in the face on other mornings. And you merely used a pillow this morning. Last week you tossed a wooden Cucco carving at me. Where you acquired one is a question I have yet to truly think the implications of."

"Hmm…I must be losing my touch…" Zelda playfully put a finger to her chin in mock-thought. Impa raised an eyebrow.

"I trust you and Lord Grantham can handle our absence?" Impa said. "I passed by Lord Tiberius' room. The man is already putting on his chainmail armor." Now it was Zelda's turn to be surprised.

"He is never awake this soon…without liquid courage, that is." She said.

"Do not fret, your highness. Lord Tiberius has not imbibed today. Yet."

"He will at the conclusion of a successful battle." Zelda said. "He came to me late last night expressing quite a bit of concern over these Ravagers and whether they are fit to battle."

"I had better keep him away from the Goron cellars should today's expedition end in victory."

"Or defeat."

"Or defeat, of course."

"Do you worry about the Ravagers?" Zelda asked. Impa shook her head.

"Worry? No. Ishaka I am sure is a fine commander of men. A little…_unconventional_, sure, but fine nonetheless." Impa said. The duo began walking down the hallways towards the throne room (and for Impa, towards the entrance to the courtyard where the expedition was preparing).

"He seems a rather intriguing fellow." Zelda said. "He will do a good job. I have faith."

"He will. As will Lord Grantham when you appoint him to be your trusted advisor. Of course, why you haven't yet is a mystery to the court." Impa said. Embarassed, Zelda looked away.

"I…do not have that authority."

"Of course you do. There is not a royal-blooded individual in your court that could say no if they wanted to. If you fear overstepping your powers, that is _precisely the reason _you have an interior minister. Goddesses know that Grantham handles all of that work anyway. At this point the promotion would be a formality." Impa said.

"It will just be…different having a confidant-"

"-That you haven't known since childhood?" Impa finished. She looked Zelda in the eye. "Zelda, I understand the hesitance to rely on private counsel from someone that you _didn't _grow up with, but at the end of the day these things need to be done. It is important to have a trusted confidant to confide in on the off chance that I die."

"Don't say that!" Zelda said. "You won't die, Impa." Impa chuckled.

"I will someday, Zelda. You should simply be prepared if that day comes sooner rather than later." She looked at the princess and smiled. "Don't you trust Grantham?"

"Yes." Zelda said. "There is a reason that I allow him in the room these days when you and I wish to discuss in private. I know that he has discretion with what needs to be revealed and what doesn't." Impa smiled.

"Then that's the answer you need." Impa said. "He will make good counsel as your Minister of the Interior." There was a pause as they walked down the hallway some more. "A handsome man too. A pity that he is married, or else I would recommend you pursue him."

"Impa!"

"Oh that's right, I forgot. You prefer your men to be younger than you, you little _culeeto*_."

"_Impa!"_

Roughly an hour later, Impa emerged from the castle interior towards the courtyard, where Lord Tiberius was already preparing an armed force to begin marching. It was impossibly foggy out. Impa counted a few dozen heavily armored men, and sighed. This might be putting a little too much faith in the strength of Hyrulian soldiers. She walked over to the red-headed commander, who greeted her warmly.

"Good morning, Impa. Are you ready for the march?" He asked. Impa nodded.

"Of course, Lord Tiberius. Is there ever a time that I am not?" She asked. Tiberius smirked.

"Of course not. Silly me. Sometimes I forget just how lucky I am to have a field commander such as yourself to take charge of the troops." He whistled, and his milk-white horse galloped over to him. Impa was impressed.

"You've trained her well." She said. Tiberius shrugged as soon as he was secure in the saddle.

"Thunderus and I have a close relationship. I imagine it is similar to yourself and that goddess-forsakenly large weapon you use in battle." He said. Impa glanced over her shoulder towards the hilt of her Biggoron knife.

"Do not knock it until you have tried it, Lord Tiberius." She said. Tiberius nodded.

"Of course. Now, where is that Ravager and his men? We've searched the commons but they're nowhere in sig-"

He stopped cold, staring behind Impa in shock. The Sheikah lady turned around.

All of the Ravagers stood behind them or were coming out from the trees of the common and through the foggy haze. They were dressed in tightly wrapped leather armor, and anything else they could get their hands on. But it was their faces that drew the Sheikah's attention. Each Ravager, be it man or woman, had applied what appeared to be a chalk-like substance to their faces. They had smeared charcoal around their eyes, creating a sunken-looking effect. There were also charcoal smear patterns underneath their eyes as well. They looked as ghosts.

And Ishaka walked to the front of the pack, the most terrifying of them all. He already stood at six and a half feet, but the way he carried himself was far different than the jovial manner in which he presented himself the days before. He also had the chalk-like imxture applied to his face, though the charcoal was limited to a single horizontal bar that went just under his eyes and across his nose. He glanced up at Tiberius.

"All y'all ready? We are." He said. Tiberius looked unnerved, though quickly regained his composure.

"Of course." He said. "You and the Ravagers are the forward scouts. We shall be the rear guard. Understood?" Ishaka nodded once, and then formed his lips into an "O."

_Wiiiiissht!_

His whistle was loud and piercing, enough to make Impa wince. At the sound of their leader's call, the Ravagers began to run out in front of the Hyrulian guard and began jogging through the streets of Castle Town. Tiberius blinked once in surprise. He had not expected them to be so quick.

"Forward, march!" He barked. The Hyrulian soldiers hurried began marching at a brisk pace, intending to keep the Ravagers in sight.

Their march took the better part of the morning, and it was close to mid-afternoon when they saw the foothills of the Goron mountains. The Ravagers were already there long before the exhausted Hyrulians, and were lounging around waiting. Ishaka stood in the middle of the party.

"We done scoutin'." He said. Tiberius, sweating slightly due to a combination of nerves and frustration, was impatient.

"And?" He asked. Ishaka gestured to the hills in front of them.

"Enemy camp ahead. Prob'ly a hunnert', maybe two. Bulblins." He said. Tiberius frowned.

"That is much more than we expected." He said. "What are they doing?" He asked. Ishaka grinned.

"Waitin'. They musta guessed y'all was comin'. Got a nice'n tight ambush for all y'all around the corner." He said. Tiberius frowned.

"How on earth do you know this, and how were you not spotted?" He asked. Ishaka's grin widened. Considering his war paint, it was not a pretty sight.

"We's Ravagers, Gen'ral. We _are _the coun'ryside. Ain't nobody gonna s'prise us." He said. Impa glanced at the mountainous hills ahead of them, which seemed more ominous now.

"What happens now?" She asked. Ishaka gestured to the mountains.

"We gonna funnel 'em all towards y'all." He said. "We sneak in b'hind 'em, an' then we scare 'em like th' Demon King hisself is comin' down on 'em. They'll come a'runnin' down this pathway towards y'all, and that's when…"He put his finger on his throat, a devious grin on his face. "We'll hit 'em at nightfall, when they's sleepy. Make it easy for y'all."

"How will we see them?" Tiberius asked. "It will be impossible to light torches to help ourselves without giving away our position."

"No it ain't." Ishaka said. "Jes' keep yer torchbearers on 'lert. When y'all all hear th' signal, that's when y'all light 'em up."

"What is the signal?" Impa asked.

Ishaka stared at her, and then grinned mysteriously.

"Y'all all will know it when it comes." He said. He sauntered off to join the rest of the Ravagers, who were currently adjusting their meager weapons and armor.

Hours passed, and the sun began to set over the mountains above. Impa reckoned that there were still two good hours left before twilight arrived, and decided that now would be as good a time as any to begin surveying the troops. Considering that they were entrusting their force to a completely unknown wildcard, she would not be surprised to find that her men were worried.

She was not surprised. Most of the soldiers were jittery, some reflexively training with their weapons over and over to the point of monotony as if to stave off invisible fears, while others cast nervous glances over at the Ravagers, who had begun a slow advance towards one of the mountains in front of them. Impa sat down amongst a few of the Captains, and quietly listened to their conversation.

"I don't trust that leader. Ishaka. You never trust a man of that stature in face paint!" One of them muttered. Another snorted.

"What logic is that? By that same logic, you can't trust a Goron because he happened to smear charcoal on his face while leading you under the mountains."

"You're both wrong." The third captain said. "I doubt that this Ishaka guy is leading us to an ambush. You saw him in the village, right? That guy _hates _Moblins, and I bet you he doesn't like Bulblins either. He can't hate us nearly as much." Impa was compelled to speak.

"That reminds me. How were the Ravagers last night in the courtyard? Did you hear anything?" She asked. The third captain shrugged.

"Nothing, ma'am. They apparently pitched up tents, were subdued as soon as night came, and generally were about as good a houseguest as one could ask for. I guess they recognize that the princess is granting them a charity by allowing them refuge. The least they can do is be polite, I suppose."

Impa nodded. That made sense. Yet still…

"What about Ishaka?" She asked. The second captain shrugged.

"I heard he went for walks along the perimeter of the courtyard, chatting with some of the guards. I heard he managed to get one of the Royal Guards to laugh, but no one is saying whether that's true or not. Truthfully, the man seems like more of a self-created caricature than a leader."

"Do not be so pessimistic." Impa said. "Things will play out as the Goddesses have forseen, and I do not doubt that Ishaka has a role to play as well." She glanced around, noticing that darkness was beginning to settle in. "Have the torchbearers ready. We will need as much light as we can get in order to see. I do not want any Moblins or Bulblins to escape tonight to report back to the Sorceress." Impa said.

"Understood." One of the captains said, speaking for the group. Impa nodded, and took her leave.

Twilight was beginning to settle in. The Bulblin camp had begun to settle down, with most of them having turned in for the night. A few sentries were posted to keep watch, but other than that there was little sign of life throughout the camp.

Ishaka fought the urge to snort. Bulblins were all the same. No strategy other than throwing bodies at a problem until its been worn away.

The Ravager leader was currently at the top of a mountainous overlook roughly a few dozen feet off of the air. It was one of many jagged pieces of rock that jutted out from the mountainside, with the Bulblin camp in the ravine below. Ishaka lay flat on his stomach, quietly observing what went on below him. A few fires still burned in the camp, and for that Ishaka was thankful. After all, a more observant sentry would only have to glance up in his direction to see the reflection of the fire light off of his eyelids. But Bulblin sentries were not well-known for their spatial awareness.

Ishaka heard a shuffling noise behind him, and soon another Ravager had crawled up beside him on the rock top. He was much smaller than Ishaka, and thus had to inch up even further on the rock so as to be directly alongside him.

"They all in place, sah." The Ravager said. "If y'all ready, we can go get 'em." He said. Ishaka nodded.

"Good. Jes' make sure e'ryone got their weap'ns ready. When y'all hear th' signal, y'all all better be ready ta come crashin' down." He turned to face the Ravager beside him. "Get e'ryone in position."

The Ravager nodded, and without a word slowly crawled back away from Ishaka and melted into the rockface behind them. The decision to make a move was now in Ishaka's hands.

The Ravager captain studied the situation before him. He could just barely make out the silhouettes of Ravagers in the rockfaces around the ravine, waiting for his call to unleash hell. He wiped his hand on the rock reflexively, and licked his lips.

_Wyyiit. Wyyiitt. Wyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit._

He continued gently whistling, making sure to be as deliberate as he could be with each breath of air. Too forceful and it would be too obvious. Too slow and it would sound like a dying bird, and Bulblins enjoyed hunting dying fowl. He continued whistling slowly. A few of the Bulbins on guard below were looking around, wondering where that bird was coming from. It was time. Ishaka took a deep breath.

_**Weeeeeesht**__!_

There was the sound of shattering glass, as Ravagers broke glass jars across the rocks. And soon after came the yell.*

Impa had been quietly meditating when she heard it. A chorus of voices, all banded together in an unearthly shriek. Impa was one of the few people have ever heard the screams of the undead that infested the most forsaken of places. Yet here there was another yell of the same timber, threatening to rend eardrums asunder. A ghostly shriek, mixed in with pure unbridled hatred towards the recipient. It was as if a graveyard had been reanimated, and the dearly departed were no longer departed and not so dear.

It was also the signal.

"Light torches!" Impa shouted. The few Hyrulian soldiers that were assigned to this thankless and sleepless task immediately struck matches and threw them into piles of wood scattered across the field. As soon as these makeshift bonfires were alit, the Hyrulian camp was able to see the entrance to the rocky ravine before them. And as the Hyrulian guard prepared their shield wall as a means of bottleneck, Impa saw the Bulblins emerge before them.

Usually the little creatures were contemptuous, vile beasts. They delighted in the slaughter of innocent things and in warfare for the sake of warfare. Yet the creatures that emerged from their camp and right into the waiting spears of Hyrulian steel looked nothing like the many, many Bulblins Impa had slain over the years. These creatures looked as if they had seen an army of ghosts.

"Block their retreat!" Lord Tiberius roared from atop his horse. "Close off all escape routes! Funnel them back into the ravine!" His terse and precise orders resonated with the Hyrulians, who had been looking for action for the entire day now. Hyrulian steel connected with Bulblin spear, cutting through leather armor and into flesh. Impa herself decided to enter the fray, drawing forth her Biggoron Knife and leaping over a wall of Hyrulian soldiers that had corralled a group of Bulblins against the rocks. With one clean sweep, four of the creatures fell to her blade. Still flowing in one motion, Impa transitioned to another group of Bulblins. She swung low, causing two of the beasts to jump up in avoidance. Before they had even started coming back down, Impa swung again from her other shoulder, catching the Bulblins just below the neck and separating their heads from their bodies.

"Keep pushing!" She barked, noticing that the number of Bulblins was growing far smaller. In addition, the creatures seemed to have given up hope for escape and instead vowed to take as many Hyrulians with them. But they were fighting from their heels, and it was all too easy to push them back into the ravine.

After a few more minutes of frenetic fighting, it was clear that the battle was won. Impa called for a methodical approach from her warriors, with shields up and spears out in order to block any escape from the ravine entrance. Some of the Ravagers had emerged from the camp, as an implicit sign that they had effectively pinned and squashed the enemy between the two forces. Lord Tiberius rode up behind Impa, who was in the center of the action.

"That should do it." He said. "Begin riding into the camp. Look for anything of value, or of survivors."

The Hyrulians began a march into the camp, weapons at the ready though not particularly worried for a counterattack. There were simply too many lost bodies for the Bulblins to do anything but surrender. And Bulblins never surrendered a fight, no matter the odds.

They found Ishaka in the center of the camp. Ravagers had dragged anything of value out of the tents, and then had set fire to the rest. A few of the Ravagers gave the rupee stashes to Lord Tiberius, figuring that he was the one that would know what to do with these spoils. As for the weapons, more than a few of the unarmed Ravagers were fighting over who got to wield a fancy-looking dagger, or if one was more deserving than another of taking this crossbow. Impa instructed her soldiers not to interfere. It would be better that these men and women have something better to fight their foes than their fists and feet.

Ishaka was not interested in this divvying up of spoils. He was slowly and methodically walking towards a Bulblin was on the ground, one that was battered and bleeding and crawling away with not much time left in this world. Like a panther stalking its prey, Ishaka hoisted the Bulblin up and grabbed him by the neck. He held the creature up to his face, letting the little beast's feet dangle helplessly beneath him.

"Where's the Sorc'ress." Ishaka did not ask so much as demand quietly. The creature, bleeding profusely from an errant strike to the face, proceeded to spit in Ishaka's face.

"Grragh…you…scum…" It said. Ishaka shrugged.

"Fair 'nough."

He lifted the creature a little higher in the air, and with a grunt chokeslammed the creature back down hard on the ground. The Bulblin was dead on impact.

Ishaka wiped what little blood he'd gotten on his hand on the edge of his duster, and reached into his pocket for his pipe. He lit it, took a puff, and blew it derisively at the corpse at his feet.

"Though y'all was a jackass too."

He looked at Impa, Tiberius, and the Hyrulian warriors before him. His facepaint, in the heat of battle, had been smudged and cracked away to reveal his normal complexion. His hair had come loose of the ties he'd placed in it, and it covered his head in a crazed mop. He took another puff from his pipe, and spoke again.

"Howzat? We good fer ya?"

**HYRULIAN CODEX**

**Sheikah Meditation – **_Little is known about the inner machinations of Sheikah meditation, as it is a practice solely exclusive to those deep within the subculture of Sheikah mysticism. Warriors practice it in order to find inner balance, while mystics use it in order to better attune themselves to the world of the supernatural and spirits. Even attempts to compose a written history of the practice have failed, as despite their best efforts the transcriptions of Sheikah describing the practice come off as little more than incoherent rambling. For lack of a better way to put it, it would appear that Sheikah mysticism is a practice that is incredibly beneficial to the practitioners of the technique, yet it remains a practice only available to only the most mentally-sharp of the mysterious people. All others have tried and failed to replicate the practice._

"**Speed of an enraged Cucco" – **_A Hylian colloqual expression used to indicate something moving at immense speed with the sole purpose of causing great harm upon arrival at its destination. For example, a phrase "That storm is coming like an enraged Cucco!" implies that one has mere moments to take shelter before the mother of all monsoons hits._

**Culeeto- **_Pronounced "Koo-LEE-toe." A Sheikah word to describe a large, predatory cat. In more contemporary times, the word has taken on another, rather risque 'slang' definition as that of a promiscuous older woman. To use this term in polite conversation is akin to waking a sleeping Dodongo: It will not end well, and the subsequent burning sensation takes days to properly heal._

**The "Ravager Scream" – **_Psychology is just as important as manpower for the Ravagers under their leader Ishaka, perhaps even more important given the usual dearth of manpower the Ravager forces carry. Thus, a favored tactic by these unconvential soldiers is to unnerve their opponents by bellowing at the top of their lungs in an incredibly high-pitched octave. It is usually broken out right before an ambush, as the sudden sensation of hearing hundreds of voices screaming for your blood is enough to freeze even the most collected of commanders. And in that frozen moment, you are already dead._


	4. Prologue IV: The Storm Brews

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

The post-battle operations were relatively easy to take care of. The Ravagers hadn't allowed any of the Bulblins or Moblins to survive, and the few that were were in such bad condition that Impa figured that they barely had a few hours left to live. Evidently, Ishaka and his gang lived up to their moniker. They had ravaged the Bulblin camp to the point that nothing would ever rise from the scattered ashes. Impa was surprised that there was anything left standing, so cleanly had the camp been picked clean. And then, as if to make sure, the Ravagers had set fire to the entire encampment as soon as they were secure in the knowledge that there weren't any Hyrulian soldiers inside.

From his trusted steed, Lord Tiberius watched the affair with a rather distasteful expression.

"We've let the Hyrulian army fall prey to mercenaries." He grumbled, watching as the Ravagers and their ilk were busy arguing over who got what from the camp. In the middle of it all, Ishaka stood watch. His arms were folded across his chest, a sharp and determined look on his face. He seemed ready to jump into the fray the moment his mens' arguing devolved into something even worse. For this, Impa was relatively relieved.

"Ishaka seems to keep them in control." Impa said, standing at the foot of Tiberius' horse. "For that I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt." She said. After a moment's thought, she added another thought. "Truthfully, Ishaka seems undoubtedly devoted to our cause. Better us than the Sorceress, I suppose."

"Hmmph. Perhaps." Tiberius conceded. "And yet I cannot truly be at peace with their actions. So…_undignified_ on the battlefield!" He snorted. Impa raised an eyebrow.

"This _is _war, Lord Tiberius. Outside of large set-piece battles, I do not think that dignity factors too much into it. Things get…messy."

Tiberius* only grumbled to himself, but conceded the point. A win was a win in this regard, and there was no need to get angry at this point in time. That could come later, when he was sufficiently frustrated with the Ravagers' methods. For now he was simply not interested, especially considering the low-stakes affair this had been.

An hour or so later, a dispatchment from the Goron Kingdom came down from the mountains, bringing with them some explosives (Gorons were big on this sort of thing) and Goron mountain-brewed ale (Gorons were even bigger on this sort of thing). As an establishment of good faith for future battles against the Sorceress' forces, Tiberius left a detachment of the Hyrulian guard in the ravine to form an outpost. That left him, Impa, a few high-level Hyrulian praetorians, and the rest of the Ravagers to make the trek back home.

Perhaps it was because of the reputation that the Ravagers had acquired beforehand, or maybe even word getting out of their harsh treatment of the Bulblins after the skirmish, but no forces of darkness dared to cross the returning party.

They arrived back at Castle Town early the next morning, and Impa, Tiberius, and Ishaka went to rendezvous with the Princess. Tiberius met independently with the princess in the throne room, leaving Impa and Ishaka to mull around the courtyard for the time being.

"I don't think that Gen'ral like me." Ishaka had pulled out his trusty pipe yet again, and was casualy smoking like a chimney. Impa wrinkled her nose. How a man could so intentionally dull the senses was a mystery.

"Justinian?" She asked. "He is…rough. Particularly when he thinks that something is doomed to failure." She paused in thought. "Truthfully, anything that deviates from his plan is something that he believes is doomed to failure."

"Always gotta stick up 'is ass?" Ishaka asked. Impa frowned.

"I would not be that harsh in my evaluation, but…" She trailed off. "He is _particular _about doing things a certain way. There is comfort in it, I suppose. To know that your enemy knows what you are planning and yet you still are able to succeed."

"I calls it, uh, hubr's." Ishaka said in between puffs. He stroked his beard in thought. "Y'all might be a bit more formal th'n me, but y'all all knew that alr'ady." Impa turned to the Ravager.

"Indeed. Just so long as it does not interfere with the overall synchronicity of the Hyrulian Army, I will have no complaints about your attitude." She looked thoughtful. "Though in the end I am not the boss of the Hyrulian Army. That would be Justinian."

"Not fer long, at this rate…" Ishaka grumbled.

"And what is that supposed to imply?" Impa asked, her eyebrow raised. Ishaka shrugged.

"If'n he ain't fixin' ta be adapt'ble, he ain't gonna be happy when th' enemy adapts fer him." He continued puffing happily on his pipe. Impa watched him disappear in a cloud of smoke, and shook her head.

"You do realize that that is not healthy for you, correct?" She asked pointedly. Ishaka turned to face her. He looked a little like an angry Dodongo, the way he was surrounded by wafting smoke. He smirked.

"Neith'r is leadin' Ravagers, Sheikah." He said.

Well, damn. He had a point. Impa folded her arms across her chest and waited for Justinian to finish his report with the Princess. The Lord of War emerged from the throne room a few minutes later, clearly pleased with how things had gone. He turned towards Impa.

"The Princess wishes to speak with you two in the Royal Gardens. She's…pleasant right now." He seemed to be staring at Ishaka. "Keep it that way, would you?"

"When have I ever done otherwise, Justinian?" Impa asked, a cat-like smile forming on her face. The Hyrulian Lord of War shrugged, offering a tired smile. He curtly nodded towards Ishaka, and then walked away and down the hall. Impa watched him go.

"I pity the poor bartender that serves him tonight." She said. Ishaka turned.

"Damn. He that bad?" He asked. Impa shook her head.

"Not like that. I have told every bartender in the city to cut him off after one drink on the night after he has returned from a military campaign, successful or not. Justinian can be very…persuasive in trying to get them to overlook that rule." She turned towards the door to the throne room. "Come. We must not keep the Princess waiting any longer than we have already."

Impa led the Ravager captain through the throne room. It was much more spacious and eerily quiet when there was no one else in there. The sun was starting to set, which considerably darkened the room and made the stained glass windows towards the top of the walls a little more morbid in appearance. Impa deftly stepped around the throne, and pulled aside some of the curtains on the wall behind it. An old, musty-looking door stood waiting for her. She turned the knob, and grunted as she pulled the heavy slab out. Ishaka scratched his beard.

"Yer sayin' th' princess can op'n that herself?" He asked. Impa turned to him and nodded.

"Do not underestimate the princess of Hyrule, Ishaka. She did not simply achieve that title by birthright. She has earned it."

They stepped through the doorway.

Ishaka had never seen a garden quite like this. Ferns and flowers and ivy as far as the eye could see. It was clearly a square-shaped location, as could be told by the walls that went up about twenty feet and covered in ivy. Ishaka could see from the way the walls closed around the place that it was rectangular, and deceptively large for an interior garden. He figured that this was the place that the princess spent her time getting away from the crushing tediousness that was royal politics.

Hell, he'd just be smoking in a corner himself, so he was in no place to judge.

He found himself drawn to a statue to his right, covered in ivy and worn from years. It might've been a pristine white marble once upon a time, but now it was just sort of a stained and dulled beige color. He reached towards the face of the statue, intending to see just how worn it was and whether it was still smooth to the touch.

_Thunk!_

An arrow embedded itself a mere few inches from his fingertips, embedding itself in the side of the statue's head.

As an almost-instantaneous reaction, Ishak drew his combat knives towards the source of the shot: an increasingly embarrassed-looking Princess Zelda.

"Goddesses!" She exclaimed, lowering her bow. "I didn't expect you to walk into my path! Are you alright?" She asked. Ishaka did not lower his battle stance, the adrenaline spike granted him by virtue of nearly being skull-pierced still within.

"I be fine." He growled. Impa laid a hand on his shoulder, gently so as not to provoke the man.

"Easy, Ishaka. She meant you no harm." She then turned towards the princess. "Goddesses, Zelda. A few more inches to the right and we'd be without the captain of the Ravagers and most likely have to deal with riots from the rank and file! What were you thinking?" She asked.

This was enough to get Ishaka to lower his guard, because truth be told he had never met anyone with the veritable rocks to challenge a princess by speaking as her equal. Even Lord Tiberius and Grantham were relatively deferential to the Princess. He sheathed one of his battle knives, but kept the other one handy.

Just in case.

"I…I was not." Zelda admitted. "I was, as they say amongst the soldiers, 'in the zone.'" Impa groaned, and smacked her forehead with her palm. It made an impressive clapping noise.

"I suppose that your skill as an archer is to be admired and thanked for avoiding a death, but that still does not change the fact that your situational awareness is _staggeringly _poor." Impa chided, her tone and mannerisms like that of an elderly swordsman schooling his young pupil. "I am surprised that Ishaka did not rush forward to attack you."

"Jes' s'prised me, is all." Ishaka admitted. "Didn't think dat th' princess partook in th' more…_predat'r-like _pastimes."

"You make it seem so dirty." Zelda said. "Archery is a most noble passion to take up in your down time, provided of course you aren't actually looking to kill innocents willy-nilly." She looked slightly embarrassed, no doubt recognizing how close she'd come to just that. "And it is a bit of an advanced skill to have in battle. Why waste your time stabbing someone when you can shoot them from afar?" She asked.

"Damn." Ishaka muttered. "That be awf'lly cold fer a princess."

"I did not garner the support of my people through idle hands, Ishaka." Zelda said. She gestured to the gleaming rapier that hung by her hip. "I am not just a damsel in distress, like they tell in the pulpy fairy tales."

"Color me 'mpressed…" Ishaka said.

"You wished to speak with us, Princess?" Impa asked. Zelda set her bow against a stone bench a few feet from where she stood, but still kept the handwoven quiver of arrows slung across her back.

"Yes. I wished to hear the perspective of someone other than Justinian about the aftermath of the battle." She said. She folded her arms. "Namely, Ishaka's take-no-prisoners style of fighting." Her eyes narrowed, and the Ravager leader realized that she was not pleased. He looked at his feet, trying not to make eye contact with those steely-blue eyes the Princess had.

"Well, uh, that be what we do." Ishaka said. "We _ravage,_ yer highness. Adds an el'ment a' fear to th' battle. Makes up fer th' lack o' manpower we have." Zelda's expression did not change.

"I respect the Ravagers' right to their own independent confederacy, though truthfully their government seems to begin and end with your whims, but you are now in a joint alliance with the Hyrulian Army. We do not execute downed foes, and certainly not in the…_showy _manner that I was told you did."

"Would yeh rather 'em jes' bleed out?" Ishaka asked.

"_Not my point._" Zelda said. A chill went through both Ishaka and Impa's spines. "You are working with us against an army that threatens the very existence of Hyrule and her allies. They commit evil and depraved acts, and they feel no remorse for what they do. Attempting to battle them with their own brand of fire will only get us burned. That is how evil worms its way into the hearts of good men: thinking that because their cause is right, that excuses occasions where they act little better than their foes."

"You are a welcome friend to Hyrule. But if you act in a manner that continues you down that dark path, _you will not be._ Am I clear?"

Ishaka stared at her for a moment. He nodded.

"Transp'rently, yer highness."

Zelda finally smiled.

"Good. Now, tell me: am I to believe my Lord of War when he says that this was a good victory against the forces of darkness?" She asked.

"I believe so." Impa said.

"Meaningless." Ishaka said.

Impa turned to the Ravager in shock, and a little bit of indignance. Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"You disagree with my trusted lieutenant, and close friend at that. Why is that?"

"Don't get me wrong, 'twas a good 'un." Ishaka said. He began to smoke again, letting that cloud reform around his head. "But them Moblins and them Bulblins ain't gonna be 'mpressed dat we cleared out a lil' camp in th' Goron Mountains. They'd a' been pasted by them Gorons when th' king woke up an' saw them Moblins and Bulblins snorin' at his foothills. Hell, I'd put good money that they'd set up th' boulder mort'rs, an' 'ave a picnic watchin' th' fireworks below 'em the next mornin'."

Despite herself, Zelda giggled. Impa smiled briefly, but then reverted back to a serious expression.

"Well then, Mr. War Master," Impa said with a hint of impatience. "Was there _anything _good that came of it?"

"My Ravagers mesh well wit' yer soldiers." Ishaka said, positively enshrouded in a cloud of smoke. "They be itchin' ta show yer sold'rs some tricks o' th' trade we got."

"Tricks of the trade?" Zelda asked.

"We be fightin' up in th' mountains to th' south!" Ishaka said. "Ain't much leg room fer big ol' set battles." He sheathed his second knife, and cracked his knuckles. "Ain't meanin' ta brag, but us Ravagers…ain't got no equals up close."

"I would like to see that." Impa said. "We train our Seegs* precisely to be the greatest in the land in close-quarter combat. Perhaps you would like to send your best Ravager against our best Seeg?" She asked.

"I would not mind seeing that." Zelda said. "It has been a good while since I've patrolled the army during drilling exercises."

"That is because you enjoy ogling some of the more handsome soldiers and captains, your highness." Impa said. She did not look at the princess while speaking, knowing that the might sight of her embarrassed ruler would cause her to laugh out loud.

"I ain't off'rin' calendar boys." Ishaka said, with an apologetic shrug. "But I'd gladly be willin' ta send my best fight'r ta repr'sent th' Ravagers, if yeh be willin'." He said.

"Of course." Zelda said, having regained her composure. "That would be lovely. Tell your men that the drilling will begin at 9 A.M. Sharp."

"Will do, yer highness." He said. Zelda nodded.

"Thank you. You are dismissed, Ishaka. Return to your Ravagers, as I am sure that you are missed." She turned to Impa. "You will stay." The slight trace of annoyance caused Impa to wince ever so slightly.

Ishaka bowed graciously, and left the way they had come. As soon as the earthen door to the garden was closed, Zelda turned to Impa.

"_Seriously, _Impa?" She asked.

"Am I not allowed to joke, your majesty?" Impa asked, trying to keep her face as innocent as possible.

"Drop the pseudo-respectful tone with me, because I know that you're just pretending." Zelda said. "First you embarrass me by calling me a _**culeeto **_yesterday, which I let slide because it was just between the two of us, yet you embarrass me in front of someone else? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that really is?"

Impa could tell that the princess was truly flustered: she was repeating the same word again and again, instead of coming up with something else.

"I'm sorry, Zelda." Impa said. "But the ultimate point to my teasing remains: you cannot stay a virgin ruler, you know."

Zelda turned a shade of crimson, so Impa spoke again.

"I _mean _that eventually you will need to take up someone that will produce you a heir to the kingdom, because as much as you would like otherwise you in particular are not immortal. Much as you would like to believe differently." Impa nodded towards Zelda's hand. The princess instinctively looked down at the back of her right hand, where a barely-visible triangular icon rested with one of the inner triangles more visible than the rest. She rested it against her hip.

"He'll show up, I am sure." Impa said, her tone more reassuring. "You are a rather open-minded individual; If you were to find love with a former goat-herder, I would not be surprised."

Zelda set her jaw, picked up her bow, and in quick succession fired three arrows into the bullseye she had set against the statue Ishaka had admired earlier. The first one hit, and then the second one split through the middle of the first arrow, and then the third split through the first two arrows. It was an implicit sign that Impa had better knock it off. Which the Sheikah wisely did.

"Do you feel anything from the north?" She asked. Zelda shook her head sadly.

"The Sorceress clouds herself well. I am well-trained in clairvoyance in magic but she is my superior in arts so ancient that no one remembers them except her." Zelda said. "I still do not understand. She has been there longer than anyone can remember. I recall my _grandmother _telling me that the Sorceress has been there for as long as anyone can remember, and during all of that time she was a peacefully neutral guardian of the Triforce. She had no quarrel with us, and we never considered grievances with her. What brought about her change? Why does she attack us? What wrong could we have possibly committed?"

"I do not pretend to know the answer." Impa admitted. "All I have is faith that the goddesses shall reveal all in due time. For now, the best that we can do is prepare for the next engagement."

"I agree." Zelda admitted. "You know, despite your inappropriate sense of humor, you always display good counsel Impa. I am blessed to have your advice."

Impa had been walking back towards the door, the princess deciding to follow her.

"Of course, Zelda. If I did not keep you on your toes every now and then, what would be the point of my existence?"

Zelda decided not to dignify that one with a response.

.

Impa arose the next morning at the crack of dawn. She knelt down on her knees like the day before and began to meditate. Almost immediately, she could feel the soreness and pain from the raid against the Moblins and the Bulblins fading away. She would be back to full strength in but a few hours. And considering she was not leaving the castle grounds to go out on patrol, she could take solace in a good day of recovery.

Also, in watching what was to come that morning.

She arrived in the courtyard around half past 8, and saw that what appeared to be the entirety of the Ravager brigade sitting around and forming a loose circle surrounding what was no doubt going to be the makeshift arena where this sparring session occurred. There was a sound of marching, and Impa turned to see the pride of the Seegs, the Twilight Wolves*, in locked step towards the circle. The princess was out as well, though she was on horseback next to Lord Tiberius. Impa turned towards the Wolves.

"Send out one of your own." She ordered. Even though she had no jurisdiction with the Wolves, her status as General gave her seniority and right to give orders. The Wolves all nodded in unison, and sent forth the smallest of their lot. He stood a little over six feet tall, and was dressed in the stout armor of the Wolves. His face was like that of a kabuki mask; completely devoid of emotion.

The Ravagers began to howl and cheer, stomping their feet and clapping. Ishaka was making his way through the crowd, choosing to wear a light outfit that was more suited for a goatherder rather than a warrior. He looked at the princess, Lord Tiberius, and later Impa, and the implication was clear: he was the leader because he was the best. It was time to prove it.

"Begin!" Lord Tiberius barked.

The two men locked up. The Wolf lunged low for a single-leg takedown, attempting to pin Ishaka to the ground. Before he was completely pinned, the Ravager captain scrambled around so that he now was on top of the Wolf. The Wolf dropped low, tossing Ishaka over his shoulder with an arm drag. Before the Wolf could hook the arm, Ishaka had rolled away and popped back up to his feet. This process continued for several minutes, with neither man able to get the upper hand in the battle.

The two men, dirtied and breathing slightly heavy, circled one another slowly as if they were two predators gauging prey. The Wolf made the first move, going for another single leg takedown. Ishaka hopped over his charging foe, a move that drew a cheer from the crowd considering his bulk. Before the Wolf could turn around to face his foe, Ishaka rushed forward and grabbed around the Wolf's waist. To the roar of delight from the Ravagers, he lifted the Wolf up from behind and pulled him up and over his shoulders, with the Wolf landing hard on his back and just barely missing landing on the base of his neck. Before anyone could react, Ishaka raced forward and leapt on top of him. With his left arm, he hooked around the Wolf's left arm and raised it upwards, pinning it against he crease of his elbow. With his right arm, Ishaka wrapped around the exposed neck of the Wolf, pushing the hard edge of his forearm against the Wolf's carotid. He heard the gurgling of pain from the Wolf, and knew that he had the hold cinched in tight.

The Wolf, to his credit, desperately tried to break out from the hold, but Ishaka held fast like a tick on a dog. Finally, mere seconds before passing out, the Wolf used his free arm and tapped firmly against Ishaka's right elbow. He tapped out.

The Ravagers exploded in cheers, clapping and stomping in unison. The Wolf and Ishaka both lay on the ground, breathing heavily. The Wolf coughed, clutching at his throat, regaining air and in turn his senses. Ishaka rolled over on his back, resting and staring up into the sky. After a few moments, the Wolf hobbled over on his knees towards Ishaka, and extended a hand. Ishaka took it, and the two pulled each other up to a standing position.

Zelda was clapping politely, clearly impressed. Tiberius was flabbergasted, no doubt in disbelief that one of the Twilight Wolves had been bested in physical hand-to-hand combat. And the Wolves all stared at Ishaka, silently respecting this man and his combat prowess with a slight nod in unison.

Ishaka walked over to Impa, and stared at her expectantly. The Sheikah growled, her jaw set. But there was no getting around it.

She reached into her pocket and tossed Ishaka fifteen rupees.

.

Far and away from all of this, a woman stood at the peak of a mountain. She was not watching this display of childish aggression, nor was she interested in it. Instead, she stared into her crystal ball, and gazed into worlds both past and future, possible and impossible. And in her heart she felt an unbearable yearning.

Her face was covered by a mask that looked positively avian in nature, that split into two peaks above her head. A red, feathery plume rested across her right shoulder, just above the jagged armor piece. What she wore covered the bare minimum of modesty but not much else. She was the kind of woman that, even if dressed conservatively and prudish, would set tongues wagging across the land at the mere sight of her.

As she looked now, there might not be a man (and perhaps even some women) that would be able to resist her charms.

She was dangerous. And she knew it.

But none of that mattered to her now. She gazed into her crystal ball, and continued to watch the past and what she imagined the future to be before her. Again and again, her focus was on a very particular soul, one that continued to manifest and remanifest itself in the form of a handsome, blonde-haired boy…

…She placed a hand to her heart, to calm the urges before they overwhelmed her. Time would bring her what she wanted. What she desired. It would be foolish to spend so much time dwelling on memories when the present was so close that she could feel it, hold it, _taste it…_

She was interrupted from her musings by the sounds of footsteps coming behind her, and a strange hovering sound. She slowly turned to see two very distinct beings before her. One was a tall and lithe man, approaching six and a half feet tall. He carried a spear forged in fire, his armor wreathed with the undeniable sturdiness of Dragonscale. And his black eyes revealed a burning hatred within him for the weak.

The creature next to him was bulbous, disgusting, and gave off an odor of indetermine origin yet very determinate unpleasantness. Its eyes were not visible, but the way it licked its lips it was obvious that a view of the eyes would not help matters.

"Is there a reason you two have interrupted me?" The Sorceress asked, her voice purring with both sultriness and thinly-veiled annoyance. "I did not summon either of you."

"We have prepared the army as planned." The bulbous being spat. "It is ready for whenever you wish to use it." This brought a smile to the lips of the Sorceress. Good…that was ahead of schedule.

"Excellent." She purred. "And I am to take it that you are chomping at the bit to lead them?" She asked the Dragon Warrior in front of her. He snarled.

"I crave the smell of human blood on my spear, and dream of their despair." The Dragon Warrior growled.

The Sorceress laughed. It was a positively spellbinding sound.

"Easy now, Volga. Few things are more disappointing than a man who talks a big game but who isn't…" She ran a finger across his shoulder. "…able to follow through." The Dragon Warrior was stoic. "Be that as it may, I admire your enthusiasm. But acting now would be foolish. He has not revealed himself yet."

"What makes you so sure that your hero will emerge?" The bulbous being asked. He floated back and forth in a lazy manner. "Is it not possible that this world and era is different than the ones you know so well?"

"Don't be stupid, Wizzro." The Sorceress said. There was a hint of annoyance, with a trace of venom in her voice. "It is fated that the Hero will emerge. The Princess already lives and holds a piece of the Triforce, while _I_…" She felt a warmth leaving her wrist, and let the glowing triangle float above her hand as an expression of power. "…hold the second piece. The third shall reveal itself, and make no mistake, it _shall _be him."

"If you say so." Wizzro said. "If you do not wish to attack now, then when?"

"Three weeks from now is the birthday of the Princess…" The Sorceress purred. "I think it would be rather rude of me not to give her a sort of present. Alas, what with my plans and commitments here in the Valley of the Seers, I fear that I am not able to deliver the gift in person. I trust that you two could take care of the delivery for me?"

"Our armies will make an excellent gift." Volga said, a hungry grin forming on his face. "One that will herald their _destruction!_" He slammed the base of his spear into the ground, cracking the stone around it ever so slightly.

The Sorceress was unimpressed.

"My word, aren't you anxious to show what a big boy you are." The Sorceress deadpanned. "In the interim, Wizzro, I want you to continue summoning as many monsters as you can from the Gate of Souls. Only the strongest are to stay."

"How will I know who is and is not worthy?" Wizzro said, daring to complain. "I cannot selectively summon. I simply summon en masse."

"I believe that Volga has been excellent at _weeding out _the populace. Surely he can continue?" The Sorceress asked. Volga nodded.

"I relish the training against those weaklings."

"Good." The Sorceress said. She waved her hand dismissively. "Now begone. I have more important things to worry about than you two right now."

The two bowed their heads reverently.

"Yes, mighty Cia." They intoned.

And then they were gone.

Cia smirked, and turned back to her crystal ball. She took a deep breath, and let herself be overwhelmed with the sights and sounds within it. There he was in a forest. There he was in a land riddled with Twilight, and he howled like a wolf. There he was in the clouds.

And he was always, no matter where she looked, always simply…_divine._

Cia licked her lips slowly, as if savoring a lingering taste. It was true that he was not here. _Yet. _But he would be. He would come forth eventually. If she had to wait a little bit longer, that was handleable.

Because when it came to him, she would wait an eternity.

Because he was hers.

And soon, she would be his.

"I'm waiting for you, Link, _my_ _darling…_"

_**PROLOGUS FINEM**_

**HYRULIAN CODEX**

**Lord Justinian Tiberius – **_If there was ever a man least likely to be in the position he stands in today based on his early life, Justinian Tiberius would have to be near the top of that list of unlikely successes. Named after a famous captain of the Hyrulian Royal Guard from eras ago and born to a wealthy family with a strong history of royal support and battlefield accolade, Justinian nevertheless was a sickly and frail child growing up. Doctors did not expect him to make it to ten years of age, and it was feared during the Great Influenza Epidemic that broke through Hyrule when he was seven years old would claim his life as well. _

_But it was here that Justinian proved his greatest strength: stubborn survival. He would endure the taunts of much better-conditioned boys in the armed forces by studying military history late into the night, determined to earn his place in the Hyrulian Armed Command if not by battlefield accolades then by sheer strategic genius. His methods paid off, as he rapidly climbed the ranks from Captain to Field Commander to Colonel, and was rewarded for his efforts in putting an end to the Stalfos Incursion into Goron territory (thus in turn threatening Hyrulian interests) by being named Hyrule's Lord of Warfare. He now sits upon Princess Zelda's High Council, and while he is acclaimed for his successes, his critics claim that he is a victim of his own success: Justinian has a very specific idea of how warfare works, because his methods have always succeeded, and is infamous for taking personal offense to any subordinates who suggest a different path than he would. Princess Zelda, while trusting his overall judgment, nevertheless keeps a close eye on him so that he does not stack the War Cabinet with Yes-Men._

_He has had struggles with alcoholism in the past (as a result of his rough childhood and the enormous self-imposed pressures he has placed upon himself to succeed in life), and privately seeks therapy through Sheikah meditation as tutored by Impa._

**Lord Elijah Grantham – **_While warfare is no doubt one of the easiest (if bluntest) methods of advancing a policy or ideology, the ugly truth is that politics is and will remain the driving force behind all issues. It is an ugly, greedy business, and many a man (or woman) has inadvertently plunged their hands into the metaphorical muck all in the name of personal advancement, and it takes a very skilled individual to advance policy without becoming tainting by the very process that makes these policies._

_Elijah Grantham is one of those individuals._

_Born to a middle-line noble family, Elijah Grantham attended school around the great kingdoms, studying with all many of people in the kingdom of Hyrule, and even studied in the depths of the Goron Kingdom as well. This cosmopolitan education, coupled with a pleasant personal countenance to begin with, gave Elijah a very nuanced view of the world around him, and thus gave him an advantage over other wannabe politicians who lacked his world experience._

_Unlike Lord Tiberius, who had to fight and claw his way to the top, Elijah Grantham was more or less fast-tracked to the position of Lord Treasurer shortly after his predecessor's passing. Any cries of inexperience were silenced as Hyrule's economy stabilized and proceeded to grow in leaps and bounds in the years under Grantham's patient view. He has and continues to put long-term gain ahead of short-term windfall, and while his critics complain that the moves he makes take far too long to have a noticeable effect, once they do take root they are enormous successes._

_In addition to his position as Lord Treasurer, Grantham is very keenly interested in expanding his knowledge, often sitting in on meeting with the princess and other ministries while taking furious notes in his ledger-like notebook. He draws the nickname of "The Taxman" for this methodical note-taking by his critics, but considering his knowledgeable approach to affairs outside of his normal strengths, there is a reason that he is on the cusp of being appointed the first Minister of the Interior Kingdom in almost 100 years. In typical fashion, he isn't even aware of the upcoming promotion. He's too busy doing work._

**Seegs **_**– **__Hyrulian military slang for "siege soldiers." These are the_ _brave (and some might argue crazy) souls that are at the front of every Hyrulian advance, and the ones that bust through barricaded doors and gates to get inside keeps. The mortality rate for Seegs is appallingly high, and yet they are one of the most applied-for positions in the Hyrulian Army. Even in the face of imminent death pales in comparison to being known as the toughest son of a bitch in the army. They are excellent in unarmed and short-range combat, and are all burly and covered in scars beneath their armor thanks to their thankless training._

**Twilight Wolves – **_There are only ten of these men at any given time, and when they say that one Wolf is worth one hundred foes, they are not exaggerating. They are understating._


	5. Act I: Attack on Hyrule

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

Impa arose that morning to the sounds to screams.

Startled, she reached for a dagger, knowing that she did not have time to grab her Biggoron Knife that rested atop her mantle. Instead, she raced down the halls towards the source of the cries: the princess' bedroom.

She burst through the doors, to see the princess thrashing about in bed.

"Zelda!" Impa shouted, racing towards her nightmare-striken leader. She grabbed Zelda by the shoulders, pinning her to so that she did not injure herself in her night terrors. "Zelda, wake up! It is only a dream! You're only dreaming!"

Zelda's eyes snapped open, and she let out a gasp as if coming up from being submerged in ice water. She coughed once, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Impa, recognizing that the princess was okay, relaxed and stepped away from the bed.

Her breathing now slowed and calm, Zelda blinked once and turned to look towards her trusted friend and advisor. Her voice was slightly shaky, but she spoke nonetheless.

"Impa…the same nightmare keeps haunting me…" Zelda said. Impa raised an eyebrow.

"What is this nightmare that troubles you so?" She asked. She leaned against the stone wall of the princess' chamber, now in full-on conciliatory mode. Zelda sighed.

"I stand in the great Hyrulian Fields, my harp in hand. It is a beautiful day out, and the smells from the flowers tell me that it is spring. The sun shines and there isn't a cloud in the sky. Someone the birds sing. And all is well." Zelda began. Her expression turned fearful. "And then…I see it. A…wall of darkness advances towards me from the horizon, swallowing all in its path and even blotting out the sun. It is a tidal wave of darkness that I cannot fathom, and so I run. I drop my harp, and it is swallowed whole. I run as fast as I can, but each and every time I am too slow and the darkness consumes me…at least, it would if that was not the precise moment that I wake up." She turned to Impa. "Whatever could it mean?"

"An omen, perhaps," Impa offered. "Of dark times ahead for Hyrule." Zelda did not seem particularly happy to hear this news, clutching her chest as if to quell a rapidly beating heart.

"…Dark times?" She asked. Impa sighed, and looked outside through the stained glass window and towards the great courtyard below.

"If that is indeed true, we must locate…him…" She said. As she said this, she glanced towards a locked chest in the corner of the room. The Royal Family's crest was emblazoned upon the lock, as well as the symbol of the legendary Triforce. But it was what was inside the chest that was the most important: the clothing to be worn by the emergent hero of this era. "We must find the reborn spirit of the Hero."

They were interrupted by the sound of pounding footsteps. There was a knocking on the door, and in burst Lord Grantham along with two members of the Royal Guard.

"What on earth is going on?" Grantham asked. "I heard screaming from the princess' bedroom!" He looked quite worried, and rather pale at that. Impa smiled.

"My aren't you a fast riser, Lord Grantham." She said. "I believe that the trouble has passed."

"Yes, Impa is right." Zelda said with a smile. "I was simply having a bad dream." Lord Grantham looked relieved, and nodded.

"Good. I was afraid that it was far worse. Er…should I excuse you two?" He asked. "I don't wish to intrude on the princess if she is not yet ready for the day." Zelda smiled.

"You may stay, Elijah. I feel this is a matter that you should be privy to." She said. Lord Grantham nodded. He turned to the two Royal Guards behind him.

"Thank you for the assist. You two are dismissed." He said.

"Sire." The two Guardsmen intoned in unison. Like automatons, they marched away back to their original post. Lord Grantham watched them go, and then turned towards the princess and Impa.

"Now then. What is it that you think is so important that I should know?" He asked.

Zelda turned to look at Impa, who sensed her implied question.

"He is deserving to know." She said. Zelda nodded, and then turned towards Lord Grantham.

"Elijah, are you familiar with the legends of the Reincarnate Trio*?"

…

"By the Goddesses." Elijah managed to say, as Zelda finished her tale of the history of the Triforce. "I had no idea that this myth was anything more than that: a myth." He stared at Zelda in renewed awe. "Then…does that make you…?" Zelda giggled and shrugged.

"Yes and no." She said. "I carry the essence of the Goddess of Wisdom within me, and I am marked to be Her champion should the time come. But at the end of the day I am my own person, and am free to live my destiny in any manner I see fit." She held out her hand, and Elijah and Impa watched in awe as a small golden triangle emerged from her skin and hovered daintily over her palm. "And I am always reminded of my responsibility when I see this." Elijah, having never seen the physical manifestation of the Triforce before in any capacity, could only stare in wonder.

"Beautiful." He managed to say. "Beyond anything I've ever seen." He turned towards Impa. "Ishaka was looking for you. Said he wanted to show you how the training of the recruits is going." Impa rolled her eyes.

"Of course he does. He just wants me to watch him choke out another Twilight Wolf and add to my debt." She said. Grantham smirked.

"You can take it up with him, if it bothers you so much." He said. Zelda rolled _her_ eyes.

"That's enough banter, you two. I _do _need to get dressed, after all. And relax, Impa, I will accompany you and Lord Tiberius on your patrol." She gestured to the door. "Do you mind?"

Both Impa and Lord Grantham politely excused themselves, and shut the door behind them.

"Do you think that you should tell him?" Lord Grantham asked.

"Who?" Impa asked. Grantham folded his arms across his chest.

"Ishaka. I feel that if you've entrusted me with the story of the Reincarnate Trio, then it might be best to let him know as well." He said. Impa sighed.

"Lord Grantham, I-"

"Call me Elijah. You might not hold rank of nobility but you are most definitely my equal." The Lord Treasurer interrupted gently. Impa nodded, recognizing the sincerity of his actions.

"Fair enough. _Elijah,_ I do not know if he is completely trustworthy yet." She said. "He's been here for about a month, and while the integration the Ravagers have had with the Hyrulian forces has been quite admirable, I do not know if he should be made privy to every rumor and story that we discuss."

"And why is that?" Elijah asked. He seemed confused by her reluctance. "He doesn't strike me as the type to betray you for the sake of betrayal. And is this a story that really needs to be kept away from him? If you are looking for the hero, consider this: he might be one of our soldiers or even a trainee who doesn't know it yet. Ishaka spends all of his days interacting with soldiers, both ours and Ravagers. _Wouldn't he be the best man to shed some light on this search?"_

…

"Well, y'all all frettin' fer nothin'. Y'ain't gonna find th' Hero in this bunch."

Impa, Zelda, and Ishaka were walking along the battlements of Hyrule castle, staring into the training courtyard below them. In the courtyard, countless Hyrulian soldiers and Ravagers were practicing tools of the trade. There were spear attacks and defenses, close-quarter combat brawls, and archery challenges in the corner safely away from the rest of the action. To an untrained eye, this looked like a relatively well-trained and functional army. Which made Ishaka's assessment seem strange.

"What makes you say that?" Zelda asked. Ishaka shrugged.

"They be fine, yer highness. But they ain't _great. _There's a diff'rence. Yeh can fin' good sold'rs like dand'lions inna field. But a _hero?" _He chuckled, that same "hee-hee-hee" sound Impa had heard the first time they'd met. "S'like findin' a five hunnert rupee inna barrel. No point in lookin'." Impa agreed with his logic.

"Perhaps we would be better suited looking amongst the higher-level soldiers." Impa said. "What do you think, Princess?" She turned, but Zelda wasn't there. "Zelda?"

The princess had walked forward a ways, and was leaning over the battlements to watch the action below. There was a circle of trainees, Ravager and Hyrulian alike, which had gathered around two individuals in the center. One was a burly-looking Ravager, covered in tattoos and ragged leather armor. The other was not.

For one thing, though he wore the chainmail and colors of the Hyrulian army, he did not wear a helmet. Even from a distance, his hair was strikingly blonde if not golden. He had blue eyes. He looked like the sort that stepped off the pages of one of those classic fairy tales, of a prince slaying a dragon to save the princess. He wasn't particularly big and was rather skinny in truth, but there was an air of confidence in his stance that spoke of years experience and poise.

"Pshaw. Tha's th' kinda thing I be talkin' 'bout." Ishaka said. "That skinny little guy tryna take on Shiva? Gonna need ta scrape 'im offa th' concrete when this is done."

Impa nodded in agreement, but Zelda continued to stare at the blonde man beneath them.

With a roar, Shiva charged, brandishing a worn and weathered wooden club. He lifted it up and over his head, and brought it down like an axe. The young man raised his wooden shield high, perfectly catching the club. There was a loud crack as wood connected with wood, but the scrawny-looking Hyrulian stood his ground. Frustrated, Shiva tried a low-leg sweep. The blonde jumped over the low-sweep, and thrust his shield-arm forward. The wooden tool caught Shiva right in the chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. As the Ravager staggered back to regain control of his senses, the young man rushed forward, and swung his wooden sword as if he were trying to cut a tree. Shiva was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

There was a smattering of cheering from the crowd, mostly from the impressed Ravagers, as the young man twirled his sword in a sort of dignified victory pose. Some of the other Hyrulians were clapping as well, though it was clear that they were jealous of this little man that had beaten down Shiva before they had a chance to enact revenge for their own bruises and blackened eyes.

Impa chuckled a little bit, impressed with the display. It was a good thing that Ishaka was not smoking, because the way his lips were slightly agape would've meant that his pipe would fall straight out of his mouth. And Zelda was transfixed.

She stared at the boy, who seemed about her age, right as he looked upwards. They made eye contact. Something passed between them, something intangible. And the princess stared at this boy below her, where he was jarred back into duty by a Ravager clapping him on the back in congratulations, and knew that there was something special about him.

Impa noticed this, and smirked. She then turned to Ishaka, who still seemed shocked. Her smirk only widened when the Ravager captain made eye contact. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"He's still skinny."

The trio was interrupted by the breathless entrance of an exhausted Hyrulian soldier. He knelt before them.

"Your highness!" He gasped. "A horde of monsters is marching toward Hyrule Castle!"

Zelda's reaction was as swift as it was sound.

"Impa, prepare the troops for battle!" She said. Impa nodded, and marched off. Ishaka drew his dual knives, and let out a whistle. It pierced through the air, and every Ravager below in the training yard looked up towards the sight. Even the Hyrulian trainees looked up.

"_Enemies at th' gates, boys n' girls!" _He howled. "_What we do?_"

"**RAVAGE!"** They all barked in reply. The Ravagers left their training posts, grabbed what weapons and armor that was available, and swarmed out of the training grounds and towards the Hyrulian fields. Ishaka nodded, whistled again, and raced down the battlement after Impa.

Meanwhile, the trainees gazed up on the battlements, noticing the princess for the first time.

"Whoa, isn't that the princess?" One of them asked.

"What's she wasting her time with us for?" Another one asked. The blonde-haired man realized who it was that had stared at him like that, and his eyes widened in shock. He glanced up at her again.

The princess made eye contact with him again, and it seemed that she had a slight smile on her face as she did so. But she turned away almost as soon as she did, and walked down the battlements and to the sounds of battle.

…

Impa and Zelda stood at the front of the Hyrulian force, gazing towards the dark shadow that advanced upon their castle and home. Lord Tiberius was astride his faithful horse, and gazed upon the advancing tide with a steely face. He had objected quite passionately to the idea of Zelda being at the forefront of the army, but the princess made it clear that she led by example, and not behind the might of others.

Ishaka was next to them as well, though his Ravagers were not in the Hyrulian line. He had ordered them to take cover across the fields, and wait for the signal. In the meantime, they lay hidden. He watched as the horde passed through the fields, and held his breath that they would not stumble on one of his many pockets of Ravagers camoflagued into the grassy hills.

He narrowed his eyes. Something in the horde stood out.

"What do you see?" Zelda asked, noticing his expression darken. Ishaka drew his knives, and twirled the one in his left hand.

"I see their gen'rals. A war'ior clad in red an' fire. An'…somethin' else. Looks like a Poe 'r some such."

"I see them now, too." Lord Tiberius said. "I do not recognize the Poe creature, but it seems powerful in dark magic. Something about it just radiates evil."

"It all radiates evil." Zelda said. Impa turned to the Lord of War.

"Do we meet them in the fields?" She asked. Lord Tiberius nodded.

"Hyrulians!" He roared at the top of his lungs. "**ADVANCE!**"

There was a roar of approval from the men behind him, and the glittering army of light marched across the fields to meet their foe.

…

The young trainee was restless. He paced back and forth in the keep, trying not to pay attention to the other trainees that were clearly not invested in what was sure to be a war outside their door.

"So…I guess we just wait to hear what happened?" One of them asked. Another nodded. And proceeded to make small talk. The blonde man had had enough. He opened a nearby door, an action that caused the small group of trainees to turn in its direction. When he emerged, he was wearing a Hyrulian shield and a white sword, along with bulked up chainmail. One of the trainees looked at him in shock.

"Hey, Link!" He said. "What d'you think you're doing with that sword?!"

Link stared at the trainees with a glare that silenced even their greatest protests. He drew the sword, letting it gleam in the sunlight. And he raced out the door to his destiny.

…

It was chaos. Link raced out the drawbridge to see that a squadron of Bulblins were marching towards the gate, intending to take advantage of the madness around them in order to sneak inside the guarded walls. Well, that was not about to happen on his watch.

Link charged them with a yell, surprising the nasty creatures. Before any of them could react, Link had sliced forward, removing the heads of two Bulblins with one fell sweep. He blocked a spear thrust with his shield, and gutted the unlucky creature with a thrust of his own. He smacked the head of another Bulblin with a swing of his shield arm, and chased the last remaining Bulblin before stabbing it in the back.

He stared over the bodiers strewn around him, realizing that he had just killed for the first time. Perhaps later he would come to regret the ease with which it had come, but now was not that time. Now was the time to help save his kingdom.

He raced through the battlefield, looking for any face of leadership with which to rendezvous. He got atop a hill that gave him a reasonable view of the battlefield, and noticed that fighting had broken out across multiple locations and featured multiple pockets of Hyrulians and forces of darkness.

He heard a war cry, and turned around to see a Moblin captain rushing towards him. Link's eyes widened in shock, but he knew that his reflexes were not quick enough to completely save himself. He braced himself against his shield. The Moblin smacked him to the ground, and Link felt an explosion of pain as he landed hard against the dirt. He instantly reacted to the Moblin attempting to impale him with a spear, and rolled away as the creature slammed its weapon point-first into the ground. The being roared in annoyance at its stuck weapon, and desperately tried to pull it free. Link picked up his sword, and ran forward to finish the beast off.

He had barely taken a step when a blade burst through the chest of the creature, killing it instantly. There was a grunt as the blade was yanked back, and the Moblin fell lifelessly to the ground. Standing in its place, already covered in blood of both Bulblin and Moblin, was Ishaka. He turned his head in confusion upon seeing Link.

"Trainee? Ain't y'all s'pposed ta be in th' keep?" He asked. Link was about to reply, but saw another Moblin approaching Ishaka from behind. Acting instinctively, Link threw his sword at the being. It landed point forward, hitting the creature in the chest. As it fell to the ground, Ishaka turned to look at it, and then at Link. He smiled.

"Hmm…maybe y'all ain't so bad yerself." He mused. He yanked the sword out of the dead Moblin, and tossed it to Link. "Maybe y'all can be useful. Need to meet up wit' Impa. Lotta Bulblins and Moblins in the way. Think yeh can keep up?" He asked.

Link nodded.

The Ravager captain raced ahead, taking care to slice up anything that came too close. Link was not too far behind, ducking away from a Bulblin spear strike and slashing it through the chest. The duo hacked and slashed their way up a little further through the fields, as the reached the outside of one of the outer keeps* in the fields.

Impa and a few Hyrulian soldiers were doing their best to match up with a Moblin-led wave of Bulblins, though in reality it was the Sheikah that was carrying the majority of the weight. She weaved her massive Biggoron Knife like a maestro conducting an orchestra, albeit in her case the symphony was of violence and slain creatures.

She impaled one of the Moblins as Ishaka and Link ran up beside her, and with a roar yanked her Knife back out and decapitated another creature in a singular motion. She looked back over towards Ishaka.

"Where are all of these creatures of darkness coming from?" She asked. Ishaka ducked under a charging Bulblin, using its momentum to flip it over his back and into the air. Link took this chance to skewer it on the way down.

"Beats me. Jes' gotta keep pushin'!" Ishaka grunted. Impa snarled, batting aside a Moblin spear before going on the offensive herself.

"Things would be going so much _smoother _if your Ravagers' ambush had gone as you said it would!" She said.

"I ain't no miracle worker, Sheikah!" Ishaka snapped back, opting to backhand a charging Bulblin with the flat edge of his knife. "'M 'xactly runnin' wit' infinite reserves now, am I?"

"Not the point!" Impa shouted. She was about to take on another foe, when Link barreled past her and slashed him up. From there, he continued to work through a charging group of Bulblins, allowing some of the nearby pinned Hyrulians to regroup with their leader.

"A new recruit?" Impa asked. Ishaka laughed.

"Found 'im outside th' gates!" He said. "Can I keep 'im? He's good!"

Link was working like a thresher on another advancing group of Bulblins. It was enough to make Impa stop and watch.

"Who is this soldier, anyway?" She asked.

"Dunno!" Ishaka said. "Never thought ta' ask!"

Impa rolled her eyes.

…

This was no good.

She raced away from the sounds of battle, only to see that there were more creatures wherever she turned. It was becoming desperate. She ducked away from an errant spear, and let out a panicked cry.

"Help!" She cried. "I'm too little to fight monsters!"

She ducked and weaved through the battlefield, desperately trying to find someone to partner with. It was then that she saw him. A young man with blonde hair, hacking his way through the masses of Bulblins. He looked nice.

Eh, begger fairies couldn't be choosers.

"Hey you!" She shouted, flying towards the boy as fast as her wings could carry her.

…

Link barely had time to react to the sound before he turned to feel a small pocket of light crash into him. There was a strangely warm feeling in his chest, and before he knew it he heard a voice in his head.

"_Thanks! I'm Proxi. And who are you?"_

He looked up to see a little blue ball of light with wings floating in front of his face. Through the glow, he could _juuuust _barely make out the sight of a humanoid form. That was about it though. He shrugged, figuring that if she was technically linked to him* she could just read his mind to get the info she wanted.

Which she did.

"_Link, huh? Unusual name! What's it mean? Where are you from? Hey…nice sword!"_

Well she was certainly talkative.

Link tried to block it out as he cut through another group of Bulblins, instead choosing to let this information emerge to the forefront of his mind so that the fairy could see for herself. This was not lost on the fairy Proxi.

"_Man of few words, huh? That's okay – I'll come along and do the talking!"_

.

While this was going on, Princess Zelda and her Royal Guard pushed back against the Bulblin forces that threatened to pin them inside a keep.

"Hold your ground everyone!" She commanded, her voice carrying across the battlefield. "We are the only ones who can protect Hyrule!"

Proxi heard this.

"Princess, hold on!" She shouted, though truthfully it didn't carry far. "Link is on the way!"

Zelda paused, her mind temporarily thrown from the sounds and horrors of battle. She'd heard a word, a name, that had cut through the mess like a crystalline arrow.

_Link…_

She felt a stirring deep wthin her heart. It was him. It had to be him.

She was interrupted from her musing when one of her Royal Guardsmen decapitated a charging Moblin that looked to skewer the Princess.

"Your highness, be careful!" Sir Gawain shouted. "We cannot lose you in this fight!"

Zelda shook herself, and continued defending her homeland.

…

Elsewhere, a floating bulbous creature of indeterminate origin and very determinate foulness let out a shrill cackle.

"Hiya ha ha!" It spat. "Keep attacking!"

…

"The abandoned keep is in danger of falling!" Impa shouted, glancing to the north. "We cannot lose it and be cut off from relieving the Princess and her detachment!" She turned to Link.

"You! Move forward with a squad and secure a foothold! Ishaka and I will reinforce you. GO!"

Link nodded, and gestured to five of the closest Hyrulians he could find. They followed behind him as the young man raced for the abandoned fort.

It was completely deserted. None of the forces of darkness were within the keep, and for it to be so quiet in the wake of the chaos around it was incredibly unnerving.

"Where is the enemy?" One of the soldiers asked. "I don't see-"

He never finished the sentence.

There was an inhuman roar, and a blur of red light and intense heat raced past Link, the force of its rush knocking him to the ground. He looked up in time to see that red blur almost instantly dispatch the five soldiers he'd taken with him, each in a disturbingly quick fashion. The red blur then leapt over Link's head, landing on the ground in front of him. It was a man, standing at close to six foot eight inches tall, in blazing red dragonscale armor and carrying a spear wreathed in flame. His helmet, bearing the horns of a slain Dragon, obscured much of his face, barely allowing Link to see his black and soulless eyes.

Volga twirled his spear like a baton, and slammed it into the ground with a roar.

"If you are ready to join your ancestors, then _I accept your challenge!" _Volga roared. He charged towards Link with near inhuman speed. Link tried to roll out of the way, but Volga swept his feet out from under him with a scooping motion of his spear. The young man crashed hard to the ground, and barely avoiding being impaled by the subsequent spear stab. Link kipped up, and threw a wild sword strike towards Volga's shoulder.

The Dragon Warrior calmly blocked it, with almost a disdainful look on his face. So he did with each and every sword strike Link tried, his expression growing increasingly bored.

"BAH!" He shouted, while at the same time clotheslining Link to the ground. "You _bore _me, boy!" He growled, and Link watched in horror as his arm changed into a scaled Dragon's claw, wreathed in flames. "_Get out of my way, boy._"

Like a horse lazily swatting its tail at an irksome fly, Volga backhanded Link across the keep courtyard. Link crashed to the ground, moaning in pain.

"_Come on Link, get up!" _Proxi wailed in his head. "_It can't end like this!_"

Link, his head throbbing in pain with what he assumed was a concussion, looked blearily up towards Volga. Only now two bodies stood in between him and the Dragon Warrior, their weapons trained defensively towards the hot-blooded knight of darkness.

"That's quite enough." Impa said coldly. Ishaka snarled, a smirk curling on his lip and a crazed gleam in his eye.

"Why don't y'all pick on some'un yer own size, sharkey." He growled.

Volga simply snorted.

"How noble. _Enjoy your shared grave."_

He stepped back, taking a deep breath. His chest started to glow.

"Oh no…" Impa muttered realizing what was to come. She instinctively rushed to cover Link, assuming a maternal stance over the fallen young man. Ishaka's eyes widened, but he never stood down. If this was his end, he'd go down standing up.

Link watched Volga roar, and saw a stream of fire erupt from the man's mouth. He didn't know what it was, but something deep inside him seemed to catch fire as well. He barely knew these two that were willing to give their lives in a doomed attempt to save him, but he wouldn't go to his grave without letting them know he recognized their sacrifice.

He leapt up to his feet. He braced himself for impact.

And somewhere deep inside him, he felt the light awaken within him.

There was a terrific flash. The fire was snuffed out, as if it had never existed. Volga stared in shock and awe, as he took in the sight before him. Link stood in front of Ishaka and Impa now, brandishing his shield and sword in a defensive position. His clothing was completely repaired, and his cuts and scrapes and bruises were mended. Even the concussion had disappeared, as if he'd never had it. A golden sphere of light surrounded the trio like a protective aura. But all eyes were on Link's left hand.

It was glowing with the light of the Goddesses, and Link could not describe the warmth that he felt from it. It was a lightning bolt that ignited his soul, raising his skin into a myriad of goosebumps. And he saw as a small golden triangle emerged from nowhere, and gently melted into the back of his hand. And the symbol of the Triforce graced him with all its power.

Impa stared in wonder.

"Could…could you be…?" Was all she could say.

Volga scowled.

"BAH! I grow bored!" He snarled. "You haven't beaten me. You've merely hidden behind your shields, human and…otherwise." There was a roar, and he disappeared in a flash of smoke and fire. Not a second too soon, as Ishaka had leapt forward and slashed through the air where the Dragon Knight's head had been.

"_**COME BACK 'ERE, YAH LILLY-LIVER'D COWARD!"**_ Ishaka roared, spittle flying from his lip. "_**WE. AIN'T. DONE!**_" He turned around in frustration, watching as Link helped Impa to her feet. "Great. We lost 'im!"

"That does not matter now." Impa said. "We must save the princess!"

"Fer sure." Ishaka agreed.

The trio exited the keep, and rejoined the fray.

…

From the outskirts of the battle, the wizard watched with disdain.

"Is Volga slacking off again?" It growled. "Fine! Send out the next unit!"

.

Ishaka, Impa, and Link emerged from the keep to see a group of Ravagers clearing a path towards the center of the battlefield.

"Hail, brother!" The leader of the Ravager group, a scruffy-looking craol, called. "We are pushing towards the keep the Princess is trapped in, but need some cover as we light a fuse to destroy the boulders in the way!" He pointed to a rock slide ahead of them. "The princess is beyond that wall!"

"Y'all all git them bombs placed!" Ishaka barked. He turned to his two companions. "Sheikah! Skinny-bones! Les' even th' odds, savvy?" He asked.

Impa and Link grinned, and nodded in unison.

The forces of darkness, having grown comfortable slowly overwhelming the forces of good through sheer numerical superiority, were in for the surprise of their life as this terrible trio thrashed through their tenuous position. Ishaka and his Ravagers formed a protective semi-circle around the bombmakers laying the fuses in front of the rock formation, while Impa and Link tag-teamed and defeated the Lizalfos captain that led this portion of the dark forces.

"The fuse, she is lit!" Boomed the Ravager engineer in a husky accent. "Fire in zee hole!" He raced away, and barely ducked to cover as the bombs ignited. There was a terrific boom, and the rock slide had been blown into little pebbles. The opening revealed a new keep to take hold of, as well as a group of disheveled Bulblins disoriented from the blast behind it.

"Take 'em!" Ishaka roared.

His Ravagers leapt through the breach, and lived up to their name as they cleared out the remaining forces between them and the Princess.

…

They reached the princess to the outside of the eastern keep. She and her dozen Royal Guardsmen were holding ground, though it was clear that the Royal Guardsmen were in desperate need of support. From behind their protective shield wall, Zelda kept the enemy back with a steady volley of lethally-accurate arrows.

"Princess!" Impa barked as the reinforcements regrouped with the ruler of Hyrule. "Thank goodness! I fear I'd never have reached you if not for a brave trainee!" She said.

To her left, Ishaka decapitated two Bulblins with one swing, and then stared at the Sheikah warrior indignantly.

"Ah-_**hem!**_" He grunted. Impa looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"And the help of Ishaka and his Ravagers of course. Really, Ishaka, what do you want? A cookie?" She asked. Ishaka pretended to look thoughtful.

"Hmm…that t'would be deligtf'l…" He chuckled. Zelda sighed in exasperation.

"You two can continue your banter later because as I am sure you can see it is not necessarily the best time because I do not know if you have noticed but these creatures are threatening the peace of my kingdom and they happen to have the audacity to do this _**ON MY BIRTHDAY!**_" She fired an arrow that nailed a Moblin in the head, and also hit the Bulblin behind him for the rare double-kill. Impa shrugged.

"Fair enough, Princess. Where is Lord Tiberius?"

"I do not know!" Zelda said. "He went to the Great Fairy Fountain to summon some help, but I got cut off from him and do not know his status!"

"T'would be an awf'lly desp'rate time fer him ta summon th' Great Fairy!" Ishaka yelled. "I dunno if that be jes' me, though."

"Thank you Ishaka for stating the obvious!" Impa barked. "Someone needs to lead a group to Lord Tiberius! I will stay with the Princess."

Before Link could react, Proxi made her presence known.

"Hey! Link here can lead some of the Ravagers to the fountain! That way, there's cover for the Princess to make it there to summon the Great Fairy!"

Zelda stopped, mostly to glance towards the one called Link. Impa and Ishaka looked at the fairy, and then at each other.

"Well…damn…" Ishaka said.

"That's…that's not a bad idea." Impa said. She turned to the Princess. "Can you make it to the fountain and summon the fairy?"

"Of course!" Zelda said. "Give me a little bit of cover and I will do the rest!" She turned to Link. "You will protect me of course, right?" She looked him in the eye.

"_Hey Link, look! It's the princess!" _She whispered in his ear. He fought the urge to blush and instead nodded dumbly. Both Ishaka and Impa saw this interaction, and filed it away for later. Zelda smiled.

"Great. Lead the way, Link!" She turned to the Royal Guardsmen. "Stay behind him, he'll give you some support." Ishaka turned to his men.

"Ravagers! Split! Half wit' th' Princess, half wit' me an' Sheikah! MOVE!"

"**AH-OOH!" **Was the response. They split perfectly evenly, and Link led the charge towards the Great Fairy fountain. Ishaka turned towards the advancing horde of Bulblins, and then turned towards Impa. He smirked.

"Twenty says I top yeh." He smirked. Impa smirked back.

"Have it ready."

They led the charge.

…

Lord Tiberius had seen bad things, but this was shaping up to be one of the worst. His horse had been shot out from under him, and he was sure that he had sprained something in the fall. Despite the shooting pain in his ankle, he managed to rally together an assault on the Great Fairy Fountain. But now, the tables had turned as a counterattack from Moblin-led forces had pinned his force on the steps of the fountain, pinned between an advancing force and a stone wall erected precisely to keep unwanted guests out of the fountain. And they were slowly losing numbers. And he was not sure how many more injuries he would be able to shrug off.

"Stand fast!" He barked to his slowly dwindling number of soldiers. "Unity! Survival! _Brotherhood to the end!_" He barked, echoing the mantra of the Hyrulian infantry that he had once been rejected from for his sickly nature. He would be damned if he went quietly.

And then, like a gift from the Goddesses, he saw a wave of Ravagers led by the Princess spill over the hills towards them. They smashed into the forces of darkness like a tidal wave, and soon they had broken through to reunite the beleaguered Lord of War with his regent.

Zelda raced towards him, helping steady him on his feet. He was not a pretty sight. Battered, bloodied, bruised, and generally a pale and gaunt mess, Lord Justinian looked half in the grave.

"Justinian!" She wailed. "Are you alright?"

"M'fine." He mumbled, as the adrenaline began to seep away and the pain of his wounds began to catch up with him. "Just blow the damn doors, and summon the damned fairy!"

Zelda turned to Link and a Ravager leader, and smiled.

"He's fine." The Ravager leader whistled, and a Goron in Ravager garb lumbered forward with a payload of explosives.

"Fire in the hoooooollleee!" The Goron bellowed as soon as the fuse was lit. There was a terrific boom, and the entrance to the Great Fairy's fountain was revealed.

No sooner had it been done, did a Hyrulian soldier cry out in pain, as an arrow struck him in the back of the neck. Zelda glanced towards the hills that they had come from, and paled.

"Archers! Get inside!" She yelled. The forces of light raced inside the fountain, taking care to protect the regent of Hyrule. Zelda felt Lord Tiberius grab her and toss her safely outside of the range of the Bulblins. She heard him grunt, and it sounded like he was telling her to move. She took that advice and raced within.

…

Another Moblin fell to her blade.

"Twenty-five!" Impa barked. She turned to Ishaka. "What is that, fifteen?"

"S'not a sprint, Sheikah!" Ishaka grunted as he chopped up a duo of Moblins. "Is-a-marathon!"

…

The Ravagers and Hyrulians gathered around the magic circle of the Great Fairy Fountain, and took the time to catch their breath. Zelda was panting, and turned towards Lord Tiberius.

"Thank you, Justinian. They nearly got me." She glanced at him. He was hunched over in pain, and then collapsed to the ground. "_Justinian!" _She cried.

Three arrows had pierced the chest area of the Hyrulian Lord of War, and his breathing was ragged and labored. A smattering of soldiers gathered around him, but he waved them off.

"_**GO.**_" He rasped. "Summon…th' Fairy…" He gasped. Zelda, fighting back tears, nodded and ran towards the magic circle and began chanting the summoning incantation. Link was about to follow, when he heard Justinian's voice. "You…come…clos'r…" He wheezed.

Link knelt before the fallen Lord, and was shocked when Justinian grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and yanked him in close.

"I know…who you…are…" Justinian's voice was barely above a whisper. "You're…th' hero…." His breathing was even more labored. He darted his eyes towards the princess, and then gazed at Link with steely eyes that were rapidly dulling. "Pr'tect 'er…wit'…y'r…life…'n'erstan'?" He had mere moments left. Link grasped his hand tightly, and nodded. Tiberius smiled weakly, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Guh-good…" He whispered. "Good…."

His breathing stopped, and he gazed up towards the intricate and ancient designs on the ceiling with eyes that could no longer see.

_A/N: Requiscat in pace._

**HYRULIAN CODEX**

**Reincarnate Trio – **_Across the ages, the stories of the Triforce are well-told and well-recorded in the annals of Hyrulian history. What is perhaps less well-known (at least by the masses, anyway) is the theory that it is not the Triforce alone that is eternal. Rather, there is a story and legend that for each piece of the Triforce there has been assigned a soul. These souls reincarnate through the ages, to represent the purest elements of each separate piece of the Triforce: Wisdom, Courage, and Power. The stories are passed along verbatim by the Royal Family to each generation, while some of the nobility are made privy to the inner details. For everyone else, there is little knowledge of the reincarnation aspect of the legend of the Triforce: rather, they simply recognize the rising of a Hero to lead them to peace or at the very least stand as a beacon against the ever-present threats of the dark. The "nitty-gritty" details of the story fade and warp over time, and it is not surprising for even the most knowledgable historical scholars to fail to recognize the reincarnation aspect of the legend._

**Keeps – **_The days of massive fields of battle uninterrupted by natural and man-made boundaries have gone the way of the legends, as even the densest of military commanders recognizes the reality of maintaining footholds across the battlefields. "Keep" is a colloquial term for any fortifiable position on a battlefield that can be reinforced and used to funnel out soldiers to outposts in the middle of the battlefield chaos._

**Fairy Companionship – **_Fairies are strange little creatures. They are said to only emerge in the presence of one pure of heart (important corollary: that heart does not have to be purely good. Just…pure.), and will "link" themselves (if they choose to) that individual like a tether to the mortal plane. Scholars and biologists and even mystics are uncertain as to what this process entails or even how it works, but it seems to be a completely symbiotic relationship. The fairy serves as a council and friend for the one that it links to, and the linkee gets to brag about having a special tether to the realm of magic. It is important to note that there is a peculiar direct correlation between the inherent personality of the linkee and the attitude of the fairy. Good people bring out the best in their fairies. Bad people bring out the worst. Thankfully, most fairies are too afraid of the dark to see what it would bring them if they partnered with it._


	6. Act I: He's Still Skinny

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

As the battle raged on outside, the mood inside the Great Fairy Fountain was somber. Lord Justinian's body was gently carried away from the entrance, so that the Moblin and Bulblin armies did not attempt to capture it, and not a word was spoken. Zelda looked around her. The majority of the soldiers were young men, barely into their twenties and some of them only in their teens. There were precious few older soldiers that had come with her. The rest were currently outside, fighting to push back the forces of darkness. She might as well have been the older sister of some of these men.

And they all stared in shock. Silence permeated through the air. No one could believe that it had happened. Justinian Tiberius was supposed to be unkillable. The guy was larger than life. He was the father of the army, the guy that had been at the helm for as long as some of them had been alive. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. He was just unconscious. They'd get him off the battlefield and get a medic and some fairies to him and everything would be alright and things would be oka-

He was gone.

Link stared down at the fallen Lord of War, as Princess Zelda walked over to the magic circle to begin the summoning process. Perhaps it was because he no longer had the pressures of life on him, but Link was struck with how…small Tiberius was. He couldn't have been taller than five foot ten, and he looked pale and gaunt. Clearly, he had worn his work on his sleeve, and all things bled into it. Link had, when he joined the trainee corps, one day hoped to meet the Lord of War and perhaps serve as a guardsman in his elite corps. That would have been the pinnacle of his existence, and he would have been happy with it.

He glanced down at his left hand, and felt the warmth of that strange symbol glowing. It was like a concentrated sunbeam resting on the back of his hand, and it seemed to give him a feeling of confidence, even if it seemed that everything around him was going to hell.

He also knew that it was giving him an itch.

Grumbling slightly, he pulled off his glove and began digging into the skin of his left hand, relieving himself of that obnoxious itch. One of the Hyrulian soldiers glanced at his hand, and his eyes widened.

"Hey, what's that on your hand, man?" He asked. Link glanced over to him in confusion, but before he could react the soldier had grabbed his wrist and stared at Link's hand in awe.

"Th-that's the mark of the…oh by the Goddesses, is that the Triforce?" He asked.

Immediately, a crowd formed around the increasingly flustered Link. Proxi emerged and began to angrily shout.

"Hey! Let him have some space, would ya?" She demanded, futilely beating her wings in the direction of the stunned Hyrulians and Ravagers. Currently, that group of geniuses were in a heated debate.

"Maybe it's a tattoo?"

"Hell no. You ever see a tattoo that glows like that?"

"Which one of that is the glowing one? Is that the Wisdom piece?"

"Nah man, I think it's power."

"You're both wrong. It's Courage!" One of the more astute guards pointed out. "The Royal Family passes down Wisdom, and Power has always been with the darkness. That leaves Courage."

There was a pause. And then the circle of Ravagers and Hyrulians got real quiet. And reverent.

"Holy Hylia*, you're the Hero aren't you?" One of them asked in awe. Link looked around him, getting increasingly uncomfortable with the added attention. He tried to break from the crowd, and in a brief moment he caught eyes with the princess.

It was the same look she'd given him back in the training grounds: one of fascination, and of great hope and awe. Somehow, Link knew that she had heard this conversation between the soldiers, and that she knew that it was all true. And, most importantly, the revelation of this knowledge was keeping her strong in the wake of something so tragic as the passing of her loyal Lord of War. Link realized right then and there that he was serving the princess, even if he didn't realize it.

She seemed to blink back what looked like tears, and smiled softly.

"Would you stand beside me, Hero?" She asked.

Link nodded slowly, and the Ravagers and the Hyrulians parted so that he could stand within the magic circle. Zelda gestured to the glowing symbols at their feet.

"Great Fairies can be…impetuous." Zelda admitted. "Yet if two carriers of the Triforce are summoning one of them, they cannot possibly refuse the request."

Zelda's eyes began to glow, and she spoke in a tongue most ancient and foreign to everyone else in the room. The words echoed off of the walls. Then came the magic.

Rising from the now-glowing pool in front of them were more fairies than Link had ever seen before. They gave off a twinkling sound, as they all flew around the inside of the Fairy Fountain. Their mere presence caused the ancient carvings in the floor, walls, and ceiling of the fountain to begin glowing with a bright white light. Then, like a whirlpool of light in the middle of the room, the fairies all started to converge a few feet above the pool. They seemed to be gathering together, and forming a feminine shape.

There was a bright flash, and a cacophonous bit of joyous laughter.

The Great Fairy* had materialized before them, and floated lazily above her pool. There was no real way to describe how she was dressed, as it seemed to be lines of jewelry that covered up any bit of immodesty but that was about the extent of it, and Link was greatly unnerved with both how humanlike and how disturbingly _other _she was. She gazed at the princess, folding her hands under her chin like a child expecting a bedtime story from mother. Zelda took a deep breath.

"Make it so that Justinian need not have died in vain." She said, speaking every syllable of her wish clear and pronounced.

The Fairy nodded, and let out a most uproarious laugh. She held her arms up in the hair, and fairies began to break apart from her. Her form rapidly detetriorating, the Great Fairy had time to look at Link, wink, and blow him a kiss. And then she was gone.

"What happened?" One of the Hyrulians asked.

"I dunno." One of the Goron Ravagers remarked. He glanced at his pouch. "Hey! My bombs are gone! All of them!"

"Surely you didn't already use all of them to blow the doors?" Asked one of the Hyrulians. Sir Gawain, who had been standing vigil over Justinian's body, glanced at his belt.

"That cannot be, for my bombs are gone as well." He pointed to the pouch on his hip that held a few.

"Are all of our bombs gone?" One of the Hyrulians asked. "What do we do now?" He asked.

Finally, the princess spoke.

"We take cover."

…

Impa let out a mighty roar, swinging her Biggoron Knife with enough force to shatter a Moblin's raised shield and break its arm in the process. When the creature howled in pain, Impa lunged in for the kill. Ishaka was faster, and stabbed the creature in the chest before Impa had gotten a step in.

"Dishonorable!" Impa shouted. "That was clearly mine!"

"Yeh jes' be jeal'us cuz I be winnin'!" Ishaka shouted, a mirthful grin on his face. The Ravager captain was positively drenched in Moblin and Bulblin blood, a testament to how long he'd been fighting and how close he'd gotten to the action. It had gotten to the point where the enemy chose to flee in terror rather than face the crazed-looking man before them.

"Be that as it may, there are still too many of them!" Impa shouted, cutting up two charging beasts without breaking a sweat. "We cannot possibly hope to outlast them all without some sort of miracle."

"What be takin' them in th' Great Fairy Fount'n so long?" Ishaka asked.

At that precise moment, the sky seemed to darken. Impa looked up, wondering what had caused it to do so despite the fact that there were no clouds in the sky. Then she saw it. There, floating high above the battlefield and directly above the majority of the enemy force, was…a bomb. A massive bomb, infused with fairy magic and floating high in the air. There was a multitude of glowing pricks of light around it, and she knew that those were the fairies that were keeping the thing aloft. But then she realized something.

"ALL TROOPS, FALL BACK!" She yelled.

The Hyrulians and the Ravagers ran as if the darkness itself was chasing them, headed for the safest of cover as the fairies dropped the bomb. It fell like a weighted stone, plunging towards the enemy at a terrific speed. Most of them barely had enough time to glance up in confusion before it hit the ground.

There was a terrific explosion, and a massive clump of smoke and fire. Impa watched in awe as the majority of the enemy forces were tossed into the air like rag dolls, and felt a renewed courage within her.

"Forward! Forward!" She cried.

…

From within the Fairy Fountain, Zelda could sense the explosion had been hit. Though that was not necessary, as everyone in there had heard the terrific boom. Zelda glanced around, and saw the soldiers before her looking to their regent for orders. She sighed.

"We move forward. The Royal Guardsmen are to stay with me. The Hero shall be at my side." She looked around the Ravagers. "Who among you is the leader?"

"T'would be me." One of them, a sickly looking craol with sunken eyes said. "What be your orders, ma'am?"

"Tread lightly." She said. "I will not lose anyone coming out of the fountain due to negligence or recklessness." The Ravager captain nodded. He whistled once, and the Ravagers around him began to form up into a semi circle facing the entrance to the Fairy Fountain and the world outside. Zelda glanced over to Sir Gawain.

"Sir Gawain?"

"Your Highness?" He stepped forward. Zelda shot a pained look over to the left.

"Please bring Lord Tiberius back to the castle. We will…make sure that he is cared for after the enemy is driven away. Take your most trusted partner with you. I will not force you to bear such a burden alone." Sir Gawain nodded once, and Link thought that he saw a crack in the stoic façade that the Royal Guardsman wore with such ease. He nodded to another of his brethren, and they walked over to Lord Tiberius' body. Proxi watched them go.

"That's so sad!" She exclaimed. She rested on Link's shoulder. "His family will be devastated!"

"Lord Tiberius had no family." Zelda said softly. "He was married to the Hyrulian Army, and his soldiers were his children." She turned to Link. "I saw him…before he passed. He said something to you. What was it?" Before Link could respond, Proxi cut in.

"He said that he knew that Link was…a Hero? I think that's what it was. And that he was supposed to protect you, your highness!" She said. Link blushed a little bit. He might not have worded it so _bluntly,_ but that was essentially what had been said. Zelda smiled sadly.

"To hear that the Hero of this era has awoken allays my pain for the loss of Justinian." She said. "And I am sure that you will more than live up to your destiny." She winked at him. But then she turned towards the entrance of the Fairy Fountain. "We must move. I imagine that Impa and Ishaka are having quite a struggle out there."

…

"HIYAH!" Ishaka brought his knives down in a downward stabbing arc, embedding them into the head of a particularly stout Moblin. The creature toppled to the ground lifelessly, with Ishaka lying on top of him. He yanked the blades out, and snorted.

"Bah! They be nuth'n but weakl'n's!" He said. "They be runnin' fer th' hills after tha' bomb!"

Impa responded by heel kicking a charging Bulblin in the chin, the force of the blow breaking its jaw. The creature fell to the ground squealing in pain, before a stab from the Biggoron Knife ended it. She looked up.

"We seem to have the battle well in hand." She took a moment to glance around. The Ravagers were serving as an essential sidepiece to the Hyrulian advance, allowing for a pincer motion on the battlefield that trapped the armies of darkness in between them. She looked at Ishaka and smiled. "I commend your Ravagers and their battle tactics. They play well with us, if you do not mind me saying." Ishaka's grin was catlike.

"Helps when th' Gods grant yeh a bom' fr'm b'yond th' gloam." He said, pointing to the sky. "They be awf'lly kind t'us, wouldn't yeh say?"

"Agreed." Impa said. She glanced over to the Fairy Fountain. "Lo! There is the princess and the Hero. I think it would be best for a rendezvous." She glanced to the battlefield. "Are you confident in your Ravagers without their leader for a moment?" Ishaka's grin turned wolf-like.

"They be playin' now. They be fine."

…

Impa and Ishaka rushed over to the princess, Link, and the detachment of Ravagers and Hyrulians that had gone with them. The Sheikah warrior scanned their ranks, and felt a rising sense of anxiety in her chest building.

"Where is Lord Tiberius?"

The looks on their faces gave her the answer she needed but did not want.

"By the Goddesses…" Impa said, feeling as though a massive weight had been tied to her chest. Ishaka took the lead.

"Th' Fairy ans'red yer prayers, yer highness. That bomb abou' killed off alla them Bulblins and Moblins. We be doin' clean-up at this point." He said. Zelda nodded.

"That is good. It would appear that the battle is won, despite such a horrible cost." She looked close to tears. Ishaka reached forward and clapped a hand on her shoulder.* She went rigid for a brief moment, but then relaxed when she saw the soft look in his eyes.

"Be at peace, yer highness. Th' Gen'ral rests well. 'E fough' th' good fight." He said. Impa cleared her throat.

"I believe that now would be a good time to get you off of the battlefield, Zelda." Impa said. "At this point, I prefer to take no chances. We've lost our Lord of War. There is no need to lose our princess as well." Zelda sighed.

"I agree, Impa. I shall take my leave." She gestured to the Royal Guardsmen, and they all briskly left the battlefield and began to head for the castle. As soon as they were out of earshot, Impa whirled towards Ishaka.

"You. _Idiot._" She hissed. Ishaka's eyes widened in shock.

"Wha' di'I do?" He asked.

"That is _incredibly _inappropriate contact with a princess!" Impa said. "She's not just riffraff drunkard, she's _the ruler of this nation. _In the past we used to _execute _people for such violations of decorum!"

"But yeh don' do it nah?" Ishaka asked. Impa sighed, and shook her head.

"No. We do not."

"Then I don' see wha' th' prob'lm is." Ishaka said. "A man close t'her died. I comf'rt'd 'er as bes' as I could. Don't see wha' be th' probl'm wi'dat."

Impa sighed. It occurred to her that a man that lived on the fringes of society might not be familiar with the concepts of what "high" society took part in. And if Zelda wasn't going to pursue it, then she was foolish to do so herself.

"Never mind." She said. "Just…be a little more aware, would you? We cannot afford to lose you because some old-fashioned noble saw you…acting like a ruffian." Ishaka's eyes narrowed.

"Those yer words 'r theirs?" He asked. Impa looked him directly in the eyes.

"Theirs. I assure you."

Ishaka seemed to buy it, and nodded.

…

From a distance, a disgusting bulbous creature watched the battlefield with a mixture of disgust and anticipation. Sure, he had not expected the Great Fairy to make such a…_dramatic _presence on the battlefield, but this was still something that could be worked with. Those pathetic Hyrulians and those _disgusting _ruffians with them were flat-footed. Time to catch them on their guard.

"Hiyah ha ha!" It cackled, waving its magic ring and pointing to the ground. "Now this is where it gets interesting. Unleash King Dodongo!"

It struck the ground with its ring, and then with a hideous cackle disappeared.

…

Ishaka was the first to sense it. He went rigid, his eyes wide in horror. He gripped the hilts of his knives so tightly that his knuckles whitened. Impa turned to him in confusion.

"Ishaka? Whatever is the matter?"

"It's…_they've got one._" He said, turning towards the battlefield. Impa raised an eyebrow.

"They've got one? Whatever do you-"

And then she sensed it too.

"Oh Goddesses. EVERYONE FALL BACK!"

There was a rumbling underneath the battlefield now. It was enough to cause the Moblins and the Hyrulians out far into the mix to stop and stare at the ground in confusion. And then the ground exploded. As dirt and fragments of earth shot through the air, tossing screaming soldiers from both sides, a monstrous roar could be heard. A brilliant gold scaled beast had emerged, with red frilled horns and murderous claws. With a swipe of its arm, a column of soldiers both Hyrulian and Bulblin was turned into a bloody mess. The beast looked around the battlefield, surveying the miniscule and puny creatures running away from it or stupidly trying to dent its armored hide.

And King Dodongo* let out an ear-splitting roar. The hunt was on.

"Scatter!" Ishaka bellowed, whistling across the battlefield to give the command. Ravagers took this to heart, and fled to the hills. Some of them were unable to avoid the fiery breaths from the King Dodongo, and Ishaka felt pain in his heart as he heard their dying screams. "We've got ta kill this thing!" He roared. He turned to Impa. "Yeh got any tips?"

"I do not!" Impa shouted, as they leapt out of the way from a raging fire blast. "The one I killed was an old beast, and I did so by caving in the caves around it. There's nothing to work with out here!"

"Why di'nt we ask th' Fairy fer 'nother bomb?" Ishaka barked, tackling one of his Ravagers so that neither of them was scorched from a wave of fire. He felt something burning, and a horrible smell accompanying it. It was his hair and skin that was burning. "T'WOULD BE NICE NOW, D'YA THINK?"

In the middle of all of this, Link was running circles around the King Dodongo while looking for an opening. He ducked under one of its claws, and saw it take a deep breath to let loose a steam of fire. He watched as the crevices in between its scales started glowing, and could feel the heat from within its gullet as the fire column formed. It let out a blast, and the fire caught one of the keeps and turned it into a fiery mess of earthen junk and fallen bodies. But Link kept focusing on how hot its interior had gotten. That gave him an idea…

"Link! What are you doing?" Proxi cried, as Link raced out into the open. He slid to his knees, stopping right next to a fallen Goron. Frantically, he shuffled through the soldier's bag until he found what he was looking for. Making sure that the bag was tied tightly, he grabbed it and began racing for the King Dodongo.

By this point, the Hyrulian army and Ravagers had taken cover in the hills or behind keep cover, leaving the King Dodongo to stomp around unmolested in the middle of the battlefield. At this rate, one of its fire blasts was going to fly errantly off towards Castle Town and the Hyrulian castle, causing a mass panic. Impa could not allow that to happen, and yet at the same time she had no idea how to stop this beast.

And at that moment, she saw Link racing for the King Dodongo.

"LINK!" She shouted. "What are you DOING?"

…

Link didn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything really. Nothing but a roaring in his ears, because the real Link was currently submerged in layers upon layers of testosterone, adrenaline, and reckless abandon.

The monstrous being turned towards the little flea coming towards it, and if one looked closely there almost appeared to be a dismissive look in its eyes. Still, if this little whelp had a death wish, then the Dodongo would oblige it. It reared back, feeling the heat building up in its gut. It opened its mouth, sucking in all of the warmth that it could.

Link saw his chance. Taking the igniter he'd removed from the dead Goron, he stuffed it into the bomb bag and held it until he heard the tell-tale sizzling of a lit fuse. He closed up the bag, and began to swing it around his head like a discus. Then, with a shout, he tossed the bag towards the Dodongo. The beast sucked it up without a second thought. But then it stopped sucking, realizing that it would swallowed something. It felt a horrible sense of indigestion, as it had never stopped mid-blast before. But then it realized that what it had swallowed was something bad.

There was a muffled explosion, and the beast's belly bulged outward as if something were trying to burst out. It gave a pained scream, spitting up blood and other interior pieces of itself as the bombs tore its insides asunder. It staggered to the ground, breathing in a ragged and dying rattle. Link didn't stop running, and ran up one of the King Dodongo's extended paws like a set of stairs. He leapt up, and with a yell stabbed his sword through the creature's eye so far deep that there was no hope of it being recovered. The King Dodongo went rigid, the blade having pierced its brain, and it was mercifully put out of its misery.

...

All was quiet on the battlefield. With a sigh, Link sat down atop the downed King Dodongo's head. He felt the breeze in the air, and closed his eyes with a contented smile. That felt good. He didn't realize just how sweaty he had gotten in this restrictive chain mail uniform.

"_Uh…Link?" _He heard Proxi ask in his head. "_You…you killed a King Dodongo._"

And then the implication of what he did hit him.

He opened his eyes with a start, and glanced around him. The Hyrulians and the Ravagers all were slowly emerging from cover, gazing at the young man in awe. The Moblins and Bulblins had fled in terror at the sight of a young man killing their beast with such ease. Impa and Ishaka slowly came to the front. Impa was flabbergasted.

"He…he slayed it. It…it took me days to kill one and he…he just…" She was lost for words. Ishaka glanced up at Link, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Yer still skinny." He said. "But yer a real hero, all right." He winked at Link. The Ravagers all raised their weapons.

"_**AH-OOH! AH-OOH! AH-OOH!**_"

Link slowly walked down the back of the King Dodongo, feeling the adrenaline leaving him. He was tired. Impa walked up to him.

"You truly _are _the Hero that we need, and that we deserve." She said. "I am honored to fight alongside you."

Sheepishly, Link scratched the back of his head and smiled slightly.

"_Aw, Link, she gave you a compliment! You're real popular with the ladies, aren't you?" _Proxi teased. Link blushed, and smacked the back of his head in hopes of reaching Proxi. No luck.

"Got voices in yer 'ead, 'ero?" Ishaka asked, an amused smirk on his face. At this point, Proxi emerged.

"Link doesn't speak much. I'll do the talking for him! My name's Proxi!" She said. Ishaka raised an eyebrow.

"So what yer sayin' is…Link speaks through a Proxi?" He chuckled. "Hee hee hee. Now I've heard everything!"

…

"Commander Impa!"

Everyone turned around to see Sir Gawain, his helmet gone and his face bruised, running for the battlefield. "The princess is gone!" Gawain wheezed.

Impa felt an ice block in her chest.

"What?" She asked. "How?"

"That bulbous sorcerer!" Gawain said. "It attacked the castle. Killed some of the Royal Guardsmen, and knocked me out. When I came to, the princess…she is gone! We've looked everywhere!"

"Bloody hell, this was all a diversion!" Impa snarled. "That sorcerer _wanted _our attention focused on the Dodongo. Damn it! DAMN IT!" She whirled around. "Fall back to the castle! We will rendezvous and plan there."

…

Sir Gawain was right. Impa had searched the grounds relentlessly for hours now, and checked everywhere that Zelda could have gone. She checked the secret catacombs, she checked the secret rooms of the castle. She checked everywhere. But the princess was nowhere to be found.

In the middle of this, Ishaka and Link had retreated to the throne room. Lord Grantham was there, though he was nursing a bag of ice to the back of his head and looking thoroughly ashamed of himself. Impa emerged from her search, terribly upset.

"She's gone. I cannot find her anywhere." She said with a hint of finality. Ishaka sighed. He was puffing away on his pipe now, that cloud of smoke surrounding his head.

"Yeh think she's-" Impa cut him off.

"No. I would know if the princess was dead or if she was captured outright. But she is gone, regardless." She said.

"This is all my fault!" Lord Grantham barked. "If I hadn't been such a weakling…"

"Elijah, this isn't your fault." Impa said. The Lord Treasurer kept going.

"Yes it is. They knocked me out like a drunkard right from the beginning! I'm so useless in a battlefield. Completely useless! A dog could have put up more of a fight than I could and I-"

"ELIJAH." Impa boomed, catching everyone off guard. She walked over to him, her expression softer. "This was not your fault. None of us could have forseen this coming. If anything, this is all _my _fault. I sent her back to the castle. I left her out of my sight, and the sorcerer took advantage of that. We will find her, and the first thing she'll do is tell you that this was not your fault. But you _must _listen to me." She said. Her expression got serious. "You will need to keep this court together. You will need to keep the peace. You will need to let the people know that the end is not nigh."

"Why…why are you telling me this?" Grantham asked. Impa sighed.

"Elijah…today is the princess' birthday. And she was going to name _you _the first Minister of the Interior that Hyrule has had in over one hundred years." She ignored Elijah's widened eyes of shock and continued. "So when I say that you are the only man that we can rely on to keep the peace while we look for the princess, _you are the only one that can keep the peace. _There is no one here that has your political skill, and no one that projects the calm pragmatism that you will need to sway the Lord Fawltys of the world that the sky is not yet falling. But make no mistake. Things _will _be difficult. This will be the hardest job of your life. Do you believe that you can do it?"

There was a pause. Link watched as the Lord Treasurer's face changed from a mask of uncertainty, to worry, to acceptance, and then to resilient courage.

"In the name of the Royal Family." He said. "I pledge myself to this." Impa smiled.

"Good. You will do a good job ruling in her absence." She turned to Ishaka and Link.

"Prepare yourselves. Tomorrow we start looking for the princess." She said.

"How?" Ishaka asked. Impa looked at him.

"Your Ravagers. Are they connected to the land? Could they be scouts?" She asked. Ishaka scoffed.

"That a s'rious quest'n, Sheikah? A'course!" He said. "'ll give th' ord'r. They'll fin' somethin'." He walked away. Impa nodded. Then she turned to Link.

"Come with me. You're going to need something…different to wear."

…

She was getting annoyed. They were _late. _She was not happy when things were late, or off schedule. Yawning somewhat dramatically, she glanced at her wrist. There was a flash in front of her, but she did not flinch.

"You're late." Cia purred. There was annoyance in her honeyed tone. Volga snarled.

"Take it up with the wizard. He wasted time that could have been spent killing humans!" He clenched his fist so hard it was a wonder it didn't break. Cia yawned again.

"Goodness, Volga, aren't you an eager little boy? Why don't you go cool off, I think that you'll think straight afterwards." She said. Beside Volga, the wizard cackled. It was a disgusting noise.

"Hiya ha ha! Don't get too…hot-headed, Volga!" It snickered. Volga whirled towards the creature, brandishing his pike.

"I will _disembowel you, _filthy wizard!"

"Don't antagonize him, Wizzro." Cia said, getting bored. "You know how anxious he gets." She waved her arms dismissively. "Go back to summoning more creatures. We'll need them to smoke out the princess. She cannot hide forever. There is nothing that escapes my watch."

Wizzro cackled, nodded, and then disappeared in a puff of gas and smoke. Cia crossed her arms across her chest, and stared at Volga with an impatient huff.

"What?" Volga growled.

"Wizzro did his part, and stayed to the end." She said. "I want to know why it is that the _great _and _powerful _Volga, the man whom I rely upon to lead my armies…fled the battle halfway through?"

"It was not fleeing!" Volga snarled. "It was a tactical retreat. The enemy cheated!"

"Such comforting words to hear from my general." Cia muttered. "What on earth stopped you? An ovulating she-dragon?" She asked.

"NO!" Volga growled a little too quickly. He snorted. "It was some fairy-boy, with a glowing hand of some sorcery."

"What?" Cia went rigid, her eyes widening behind her mask. "A boy stopped you? And his hand was glowing?"

"…Yes?" Volga said, uncertain as to why his master's demeanor had changed.

"Which hand?"

"I don't know, I wasn't paying attenti-"

"_**Which hand?**_" Cia's magnified voice echoed through her chambers.

"Gah!" Volga flinched. "His left. What difference does it ma-"

"What did he look like?" Cia asked, feeling her heart beating faster. Volga shrugged.

"Like I said. A fairy boy. With blonde hair, blue eyes, and a misplaced sense of heroics. I could see it in his eyes. That boy thought that he was something special, I could tell, but he won't be so special when I've ripped out his spine an-"

"You will do _no such thing._" Cia hissed. She put a hand to her chest, as if that would stop her beating heart. "A young man, with blonde hair, blue eyes, left-handed, and a heroic look to him? You are certain?" Volga was getting annoyed.

"Yes, I am certain. Though I did not see heroics but rather a puffed up sense of-"

He was interrupted by a moaning sound. Cia looked as though she were about to swoon. Volga did not know how to react to this. At all.

"Oh Volga, you've been a good boy. A good boy indeed." Cia said. She stared at him intently. "You are dismissed. Go train or something. I don't care."

"Yes, mistress Cia." He intoned.

There was a flash, and he was gone.

Cia staggered back up the steps of her keep, and stood before her crystal ball. She touched it gently, rewinding time inside it so that she could watch the battle from earlier that day in front of her. She scoured the scenes in front of her, skipping the beginning with an annoyed expression on her face. And then she saw him.

She zoomed in the sight as close as she could, so that she could only see his face in the crystal ball and nothing else. She let out a gasp, clutching her heart to quell its rapid beating. She felt warmth in her cheeks and butterflies in her stomach.

"Oh Link…my darling." She said breathlessly. "Oh…darling…Oh my precious little Link. You're even more gorgeous than I could have imagined." She leaned forward, resting her cheek against the crystal ball. She caressed it slowly as if it were Link's face itself. "I'm waiting for you, my dear. Come to me, and you will understand…you and I…we belong to each other…You'll see. Oh…baby, you'll see."

Throughout the castle of time, a noise drifted through the walls and echoed through the halls. It was a woman's voice, singing softly. There was something beautiful and hypnotic about that sound. And yet it haunted.

_Oh can't you seeeeee?..._

_You belong….to meeee….._

_Oh how my poor heart….aaaches…._

…_.with every step you take…_

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**Hylia – **_While most Hyrulians are rather uninformed of the story of the Three Golden Goddesses save for theologians or religious students, __everyone__ is aware of the story of Hylia. Known as Her Grace and The Goddess, she is known as the one that originally kept the Triforce protected from evil, as well as serving as a watchful protector of Hyrule. Eventually, she would ascend to a higher plane of existence, but not before first assigning the Sorceress of Time responsibility of guarding the Triforce and keeping evil at bay. She is venerated as the watchful protector of the land, and the people treat her with absolute reverence._

_ …Which is interesting, as this contemporary understanding of Hylia's purpose is a classic example of how the passage of time can corrupt memory. For in reality, Hylia was tasked with the protection of the Triforce, but at the behest of the Three Goddesses. And Hylia is technically no longer a divine being, as during a dark moment in time she chose to reincarnate her soul into a human form for eternity so that there was always a watchful eye against the darkness. For this selfless sacrifice, the Three Goddesses granted her total and complete control over the Triforce of Wisdom, and Hylia's presence can be felt even to this day. One can only imagine the reaction of the people if they were to discover that their fair regent, Princess Zelda, is in fact a reincarnation of the Goddess they cherish so. _

**Great Fairies – **_Great Fairies are a strange group, even by magical standards. For starters, there is no evidence to suggest that Great Fairies "exist" as their own person: rather, they are a collection of countless regular fairies who temporarily fuse together to create a mighty being more powerful than any of them combined. A sort of "the sum is greater than the parts of the whole" effect is definitely in play. _

_ Great Fairies serve as sorts of "genies" in the world, granting wishes for those that are lucky enough to summon them. However, one must be very careful in how one words the wish. While not malicious at heart, Great Fairies have…quite the sense of humor, and will come up with a solution to one's problem in a manner that might seem roundabout, ludicrous, or even totally inconceivable. And yet in the end they give their wishmaker what they want, so no one complains._

_ There have been many a story written about what these strange creatures look like, and while there have been several variations, one thing is certain: they are quite beautiful, almost entrancingly so, but in the end there is an "otherness" to their beauty that reminds the enthralled that this is not a mortal being, and you'd better not waste your time pining after it anyway._

_ Of course, it doesn't help matters when the Great Fairy is feeling particularly flirtatious in that moment._

**Interactions between Royalty and common folk – **_Though Princess Zelda is remarkably liberal in her dealings with traditional decorum surrounding the role of the ruler of Hyrule, in general it is considered __extremely __inappropriate for a common-born like Ishaka to interact with royalty in such a way. _

"**King" Dodongo – **_Dodongos are nasty little beasts, that eat anything and everything that they can get their jaws around. They primarily live in the Eldin Caves and deep below the Goron Mountains, and are a constant nuisance for the Goron Kingdom for caving in tunnels and infesting mines that are full of precious gemstones. However, most Dodongos are relatively easy to handle. For a Goron, it's a matter of picking up the little lizard-like beasts, and then slamming them hard on the ground. For the Gorons and their notorious strength, this is an easy matter._

_ But there are some Dodongos that survive this culling, and retreat deep into the mountains to grow. They feed on rocks and minerals, all while nursing a hatred for anything that gets in their way. A full-fledged Dodongo, whether it be male or female, is granted the colloquial moniker of "King" Dodongo, to showcase its gigantic size and terrifying appetite. They are creatures of indeterminate size and __**very **__determinate rage, and are nigh-unkillable. To date, the only surface dweller that has killed a King Dodongo is the Sheikah warrior Impa, who was venerated as a near-deity by the Goron people as thank you._

_ And even then, it took her ten months to fully recover from the injuries she suffered._


	7. Act I: Cave Spelunking? Light it Up

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

It was a week before anyone heard anything of notice from the Ravager scouts. Ishak had ordered them to scour the land as far and as wide as they could, with orders to stick to the shadows and never reveal themselves unless they had no choice, and let the whisperings of the world clue them into the location of the missing princess. Other than periodic communication via runners, there was little headway being made.

Which was all the more frustrating for Impa back on the homefront. In addition to juggling the reality that the princess of Hyrule was missing from her throne, the Sheikah warrior also had to deal with the threat of complete and utter panic if the news leaked out. People had seen the explosions that had rocked the Hyrulian castle, so it was impossible to simply lie and claim that nothing had happened. But the scope of the attack would shatter the confidence of the Hyrulian people. If their ruler was not safe, what hope was there for them?

This was a fact that Impa was continually reminded of by Lord Grantham. Incessantly. She respected the man greatly, but _Goddesses _he could be annoying. He'd settled in to his role as backstage director of Hyrulian politics with remarkable ease, and was currently working on calming the terrible panic felt by some of the older noblemen and women that were part of Zelda's court. The bags forming under his eyes were rather pronounced.

"Impa, I'm telling you, something needs to be done." He said, three days after the attack. "The nobles are getting antsy, I don't know _what _I'm going to do to keep Lord Fawlty from causing a mass panic in and of himself, and the people want to know why they haven't heard from the princess in three days! We can't just not answer their pleas!" They were sitting around the stone table in the throne room, the one that the princess had used to plan out a defense of her country alongside Lord Justinian Tiberius. And now both were gone, one forever and one uncertain.

Impa groaned, and buried her hands in her hair.

"Elijah, I am not a politician!" Impa said. "Fighting and warfare are my forte. What is wrong with simply holding this from the public? They do not _need _to know every detail."

"With a statement like that, it's no wonder that you're not a politician." Grantham responded coldly. "Zelda's government, her _entire style of ruling_, was and is predicated on her openness with the people. _Never _underestimate the masses' ability to make something out of nothing. Give them a few days of silence on the princess' end, and by the end of the week they will be openly rebelling against what they believe is a military coup!"

"That's absurd!" Impa said. "You overestimate their irrationality."

"You haven't spent hours debating policy." Elijah replied. "Irrationality is the staple of political and public discourse." Ishaka, who'd been sitting at the table with his feet up on the edge and a pipe dangling in his mouth, finally spoke up.

"Well, if'n I may say so, that soun's Goddess-fuckin' awf'lly dark a' you, Gen'ral." The Ravager captain said. Elijah turned towards him with a furrowed brow, and sighed.

"It's the truth, and the truth can sting. And…as much as I am flattered by the term of endearment, Ishaka, I would prefer that you did not call me general. Justinian earned that post. I didn't want this job. Not this way, anyway."

"Yer doin' fine." Ishaka said, a little haze surrounding his face from the pipe. Whatever he was smoking was particularly sharp this morning. "T'ain't 'xactly th' best job, innit?"

Now it was Impa's turn to be frustrated.

"Ishaka, you are not helping with pithy comments. You are aware of that, right?" She asked. It looked like the Ravager captain was grinning through the smoke.

"Fig'red I'd light'n th' mood a bit. 'S getting' awf'lly d'pressin' in here."

"And as appreciative as I am for your lightness, Impa has a point." Elijah said. "You're doing more than enough with your Ravagers scouring the countryside looking for signs of the princess. But this is a dire political situation." For the first time in a while, Ishaka looked rather annoyed.

"Yeh think I got nothin' ta contribute?" He asked.

There was a pregnant pause. Mercifully, Lord Grantham was the one that broke the awkward silence.

"Do you?" He asked. There was another pause. Ishaka slowly got up from the chair. Having been accustomed to seeing him sitting in a chair, Impa and Lord Grantham were struck with just how big the man was. It was little wonder that the Ravagers had him as their leader.

"If'n it t'were me," Ishaka began. He scratched his chin. "I'd be thinkin'…could I make th' people see th' princess, wit'out act'lly _seein' _th' princess?" Impa looked confused, but Lord Grantham looked like he'd had his eureka moment.

"That's…that's it!" He started walking out of the room. "Come with me, you two."

…

"From a distance, it is believable." Impa said.

"You'd have to look very hard to see the differences." Lord Grantham offered.

"Yer all overthinkin' it." Ishaka said. "It's perf'ct!"

They were standing in the royal chambers, right beside Zelda's bed. Though there were several of the princess' handmaidens with them, the trio was focused on the one in front of them. She was dressed as the princess was, complete in Zelda's preference to wear battle-friendly tiaras and shoulder pauldrins. Her hair was a slight shade darker than the princess', but from a glance they were right: she could pass for the missing ruler of Hyrule.

"What is your name, my dear?" Lord Grantham asked.

Blushing furiously, the handmaiden curtseed.

"M-Marin, sire. My name is Marin." She said. Impa smirked.

"Ach, there's your first problem. The princess does not blush nearly as easily. Only after one has told a particularly vulgar joke, or made an insinuation about her preferences…or performance."

Marin's blush deepened. Ishaka came in for the kill.

"A'course, she seemed fine ta me."

That got him a slap across the face from an irate Impa, a choked snorting noise from Lord Grantham that sounded suspiciously like a stifled laugh, and a tittering of giggles from the other handmaidens, and turned poor Marin the color of a tomato.

"Do not listen to this _Ordo*_." She said. "You will do a marvelous job with this." She grew serious. "All we ask is that you try your best to pretend to be Zelda. You will not have to do anything serious. There will be no policy meetings done in the presence of the other lords and masters. Lord Grantham will guide you through everything you need to, and you will be fine." She looked at Marin square in the eye. "Now, let us ask you again: What is your name?"

Marin took a deep breath. When she exhaled, all signs of nervousness seemed to disappear.

"I am Princess Zelda, ruler of Hyrule." She said. Ishaka, rubbing his cheek slightly, managed a smile.

"Ready fer th' task when needed. Tha's my kinda woman!"

That got him another one.

…

It was another two days before the Ravager scouts returned to their boss. Early in the morning, as Impa and Ishaka were discussing battle defenses with Lord Grantham, the doors to the throne room burst open.

"Brudduh 'Shak!" The leader of the group, a burly and dark skinned Craol, said. "Gah summin."

"Yeah? Whacha got?" Ishaka asked. The Craol stepped forward, giving a little nod of the head to acknowledge the ranking that Impa and Lord Grantham had, and then started.

"We be'n hunnin' fer summah tynau," he began. "Taint gahcha prinnes, buh gadda luh…lead onnanuddah ting." He said.

Impa and Lord Grantham turned to each other, and then turned to look at Ishaka.

"I'm…sorry." Lord Grantham said. "But…um, I'm afraid that we didn't catch that."

"Yer a'ite." Ishaka said. "Bruddah Denbe can't talk tha' well. When 'e were a kid, them Bokoblins cut 'im inna tongue 'n neck d'rin' a raid on 'is village. Damn near pulled it out."

As if on cue, Denbe tilted his head back so that Impa and Lord Grantham could see the ugly and jagged scar that ran from the tip of his chin and all the way down to the base of his neck. It had healed…but barely.

"Thadahk mooven fruhduh noethuh." Denbe said. He was speaking only to Ishaka now, well aware that he was the only man that could properly translate. "Buhdey run inna trubbah inna norease. Thuh be suh fyheeng inna…Fuh-f'ron woos. Led bye uh laydee. Sorsor laydee."

"What did he say?" Impa asked. Ishaka sighed.

"The Sor'cress is movin' from th' north." Ishaka began. "But dey runnin' inta trouble inna Faron Woods. He says dey gotta rebel thr't led by a…sor'cress lady? Princess Zelda do magic?" He asked. Impa felt herself jolted alive.

"That has to be her. Only the princess could be cast out from her castle, and nary a week later come up with a rebel army to stifle the Sorceress' advance into the Faron Woods. It's brilliant strategy, and I expect nothing less from Zelda. We'll send an advancement, ourselves included, to find and rescue her." She turned to Denbe. "Your services are more worthwhile. You and your men deserve hot meals, clean clothes, and rest. Head to the infirmary. Tell them I sent you. They will give you everything you ask for."

Denbe smiled at the compliment, and seemed ever grateful for the reward. As soon as the Ravager scouting party left, Lord Grantham turned towards Impa and Ishaka.

"Alright, so that is our best lead. We _think _that Zelda is leading a band of rebels in the Faron Woods, and is raising unholy hell against the dark forces. That's…_remarkably _flimsy evidence, but considering we haven't had anything remotely close to another option in the last few days, I'm going to go and suggest that we check it out."

"We?" Impa asked. She folded her arms across her chest. "Let me, Ishaka, and the Hero lead the expedition into the Faron Woods. It's like you said, Elijah: you aren't built for war."

"That's true." Lord Grantham admitted. "But that leads me to our second issue: who are you taking with you?"

"The Hyrulian army, of course." Impa said. Lord Grantham shook his head.

"Absolutely not."

"What?" Impa asked. Even Ishaka seemed surprised, his jaw going slack enough that his pipe nearly dropped out of his lips. Now it was Lord Grantham's turn to look firm.

"I'm not letting you lead the _entire _Hyrulian Army on what could be a wild goose chase." He said. "What if the Sorceress attacks Hyrule Castle while you're gone? Diplomacy doesn't really work when they've cut off your head."

"Elijah, you're being…fine." Impa caught herself midargument, realizing that the man at least had a point. It was probably wiser to keep the majority of the Hyrulian army within defending distance of the castle and the civilians. Yet… "Who am I supposed to bring with me?" She asked.

"Us." Ishaka said. "Th' Ravagers."

"How many do you have?" Lord Grantham asked.

"Hundreds." Ishaka said. "That be 'nough." He finished with certainty.

"I'll supplement some Hyrulian soldiers to help your expedition." Lord Grantham offered. "I have confidence in the Ravagers' abilities in the field, don't you, Impa?"

"I…do." Impa said with uncertainty. Ishaka smiled, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"'Ey, it gonna be a'ite, Sheikah. Th' Ravagers see ya as our sistah, anyway!" He said. Impa smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Ishaka. I appreciate that." She said. She turned to Lord Grantham. "You had better take care of this city while we're gone. Do you understand me, Lord Grantham?"

"Of course, Impa." Lord Grantham said with a chuckle. "We will be safe. _You _on the other hand take care of yourself, alright? We can't afford to lose you so soon after we lose the princess."

…

The following day, Impa stood in the middle of the courtyard, gazing at the sight in front of her. The Ravagers had clearly spent the days since the battle recovering and reloading their numbers and weapons, because what stood in front of her by the Goddesses looked like a passable army. Sure, their "uniforms" were whatever was the clothing on their backs, but other than that they seemed relatively in control. Impa glanced over to Ishaka, who was positively beaming at the sight of his men and women so ready to fight. And then Impa glanced over at Link.

The young man looked positively…heroic in the clothing of ancient legend. His green tunic was bright in the light of day, and he'd clearly spent the morning polishing his boots to a shiny sheen. His pants looked like they were sewn together the previous morning, so free of dirt they were. It was the scarf that caught her attention. It was a big, blue thing with a regal design imprinted on the end of the material, and it was clear that he was mighty proud of it. Impa couldn't resist.

"You look like a hero." She said. Link looked at her, eyes widened in surprise, and then sheepishly scratched the back of his head. A glowing little light seemed to pop out of his head.

"Aw, that's so nice of you, missus Impa!" Proxi said. "Link, say thank you!" There was a pause. "Eh, I'll say it for you. Thank you, missus Impa!" Impa smiled.

"You are welcome, Proxi." The Sheikah warrior said. "Be wary for your hero's safety, would you?" She asked. The fairy flashed a bright light, and it was clear that she had taken this job to heart. Impa turned towards the Ravagers and Hyrulian warriors before them.

"Gentlemen and ladies!" She barked. "You've been chosen for a most daring mission: we're going to find the princess of Hyrule, and we're going to bring her back home. This will be the most challenging mission of your lives. Is there anyone that wishes to step down?"

No one budged.

"As I expected." Impa said with a smile. She gestured to the gates. "Forward, MARCH!"

There was a chorus of cheers from the army, and they began their trek through the streets of Castle Town and towards the great unknown.

…

The first few hours were little problem for the army. With the Ravagers scattered around them and scanning the countryside for any signs of life, it would appear that the march towards the Faron Woods would be completely without intrigue. That changed at around high noon.

"Ahoy, Ishaka!" One of the Ravager scouts shouted from the front. "Enemies have got the entire plain swarmed! There's no safe way to continue through this racket to get to the woods!"

"What?" Impa asked. She got a hill nearby where the expedition was resting, and stared ahead intently. It was true. There was an exorbitant number of Bulblins, Moblins, and Bokoblins digging in for what they expected to be a siege of sorts. At the moment, they were facing away from Impa's expedition, but it was clear that any closer advancement would reveal their presence. The Sheikah saw the massive trees of the Faron Woods ahead of her and realized that this massive army was designed to keep anything that was inside of the woods…_in. _

"What should we do?" Proxi asked, floating in between Link and Impa. Impa sighed.

"I am not sure, Proxi." She said. "We do not have the numbers to do battle in an open field, and I do not wish to put us through a meat grinder just because we can. The quicker we can get to the princess in the woods, the better." She said. Ishaka snorted.

"There be other ways inta th' Woods, Sheikah." He said. Impa turned towards him.

"Such as?"

"Th' Caves." He said. Impa's eyes widened.

"The Eldin Caves?" She asked. "Surely you jest."

"I be ser'us, though my name ain't Shirley." Ishaka said. Impa resisted the urge to slap the moron in the face. Later. That would come later. For now…

"They are incredibly dangerous."

"And we Ravagers know th' way." Ishaka said. "There be an entrance to th' forest through th' caves. But we bett'r move now, 'fore it get dark."

Impa thought about it for a moment. It was either charge into the forest and that Moblin blockade straight on and risk a massacre for the slim hope that the princess was alive and within the place, or turn around and hook through the Eldin Caves where they might get massacred but also _might _make it out relatively unscathed.

In the end, the choice was relatively easy.

"Tell the men we're making a detour into the caves." Impa said. As Ishaka was about to walk away, she grabbed him and yanked him in close by the scruff of his neck.

"I am putting our lives into your hands. _Do not take that lightly._"

…

One of the benefits of being the Sorceress of Time was the possession of very far-ranging eyes and ears. Cia allowed herself a smirk as she watched this change of course. She cursed the fact that that blasted princess had enough magical prowess to shade much of Hyrule from her scrying eyes, but this far out into the Hylian fields? Fair game.

Cia laughed at the thought. Fair? Hardly, considering she was spying on the enemy. Well, better them than her. Still, it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Sheik warrior was leading those ragamuffin soldiers into the Eldin Caves in order to get to the Faron Woods, and that they would need to be taken care of.

"Oh…Wizzro, dear?" She asked. There was a dark, smoke-like presence that materialized before her, and the bulbous and disgusting creature was before her once more. Cia had no idea what was underneath that ragged cloak that…_it_ wore, and had no interest in finding out. Probably concentrated magic, or maybe smoke.

"Yes, Mistress Cia?" It rasped. Cia sighed, slightly melodramatically.

"I have it on good intelligence that there is a Hyrulian and…something else brigade approaching the Eldin Caves." She watched with a smirk as Wizzro's eye widened in interest.

"Go on…" It intoned. Cia tapped her crystal ball expectantly with her pointer finger.

"They're going to go in there. Do me a favor, my dear. Kill them."

"I thought you'd never ask." Wizzro rasped. It was about to disappear, when a thought struck it. "What about your hero?"

"Mmm…my darling Link?" Cia asked. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, and then it became clear that she was daydreaming. Wizzro debated snapping his fingers to get her attention, but didn't want to get on her bad side. So it waited. Cia opened her eyes, and though she wore a mask it was clear that she was staring straight at him. "Him…you will bring to me. And as handsome and as precious as you find him, understood? Because if I see that even one hair on his gorgeous little head is harmed, I'll _erase _you, wizard. Are we clear?"

"Transparently." Wizzro said. He had hesitated. And with that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Smiling to herself, Cia turned back around and continued to stare at this adorable little hunting party heading to their doom. And of course, the only one she had eyes for was her beloved Hero.

"I'll see you soon, baby…"

…

It was damned hot in the Eldin Caves.* Impa could feel herself sweating, and they had barely been in the caves for twenty minutes. She glanced over at Link and Ishaka. Neither of them were sweating in the caves. She rolled her eyes. Figures. Link, being the Hero of the Era, was probably being blessed by the Goddesses to keep a cool head, but what the hell was Ishaka's excuse? There was no way that she was wearing thicker clothing than that damned duster of his.

They stood in the middle of a rock floe, looking at the lava streams around them. Impa thanked the Goddesses for the Gorons and their heat-reducing magic. If it weren't for them enchanting the rock upon which people could walk, being this close to that much lava was a recipe for instant immolation.

And speaking of Gorons, shortly after they had entered the caves they had been joined by a Goron squadron. The Goron Empire had heard of their quest to investigate the Faron Woods (dismissing Impa's stunned protests with "It's our business to know these things, Sister."), and was glad to send some of their finest troops to help their revered Big Sister Impa.

"Big sist'r, eh?" Ishaka asked. "Di'nt think yeh had it in ya!" Link covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, and they both could see that Impa was getting embarrassed.

"It is just a…formal name. The Gorons are remarkably informal with their titles, but it is a formal title all the same." She said. Ishaka chuckled, that same "hee-hee-hee" sound that was the soundtrack to Impa's greatest irritation, and gestured to a rocky area in the distance.

"That be th' exit I be talkin' 'bout!" Ishaka said. "Jes' gotta hook 'round these pathways, an' 'fore yeh know it, we're in th' clear!"

"Thank goodness." Impa said. "It's getting awfully boring here. One almost wishes for something to happen."

At that moment, there was a horrific cracking noise, as if the ground was ripping itself apart. Everyone drew their weapons in alarm as bony hands emerged from the ground, with soulless skeletal bodies attached to them. Stalchildren. Hundreds and hundreds of Stalchildren.

"I WAS KIDDING!" Impa roared, swinging her Biggoron Knife with enough power to cut through half a dozen of the little beasts. Link drew his Hylian sword, and with a cry launched himself at a few more of the charging beasts. Ishaka drew his twin knives, and let out a snarl.

"Come an' get me!" He barked.

…

From a perch high above in the gloam, Wizzro watched the action and clapped its hands in glee.

"Hiya hah ha!" It cackled. "Kill them! Kill them all!"

…

Impa turned around to see that her force had been cut off. While she, Link, and a few Hyrulian and Ravager troops had been pushed up a rocky pathway and into a overhang-laden area, the majority of her troops were still stuck with Ishaka. The Sheikah warrior was about to bark out an order, when she realized that her little party was surrounded. She'd never seen so many Stalchildren before. They seemed to block out the ground, and their glowly red eyes were like countless coals from a fire. She felt something bump into her back, and realized that it was Link. They were completely trapped.

There was a soft melody in the air. It was enough to halt the attack of the Stalchildren. Impa and Link turned to look up towards the source of the music. A human figure was standing at the top of an overhang above them, eyes closed and gently playing a harp. It was sweet music, almost enough to make one forget that one was facing certain doom. It looked like a young man, wearing a hooded face mask and tribal gear. He opened his red eyes, and suddenly strummed the harp violently. Impa watched in awe as the musical notes took form in a shock wave and smashed into the Stalchildren, and turned them all into bones. The male leapt from the overhang, and continued lazily playing his harp as he approached the wary Hyrulian group.

"Who are you?" Impa asked.

"No one of circumstance." The male replied a rather husky yet soft voice.

"I must know." Impa said. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"You don't." The male said. "But you can." He put away his harp, and drew a nasty-looking knife. "My name is Sheik. I am a member of the Sheikah tribe. And I come bearing a message passed from the princess."

"Sheikah? But that's imposs-" Impa was cut off by a realization. "The princess? You've seen her?" Sheik nodded.

"The princess is not dead. Continue on this path, and you shall be reunited shortly. For now, let me help you. Your ally the Ravager fights an endless battle, though he does not know it. For the Stalchildren in this cave have been magically enchanted to endlessly revive by the Spirit of the Cave, which itself has been revived by the dark magician Wizzro. Come. We must destroy it, and only then will things come to an end." He said. He dashed off, and Impa and Link barely had time to register what was happening before they took off after him.

…

Ishaka could feel himself slowing down. He'd lost count at four hundred slain Stalchildren, but he'd be damned if the things kept picking themselves up and throwing themselves at the steady yet rapidly tiring Ravager defense. The Gorons were reduced to throwing rocks at the advancing Stalchildren, as their hammers and clubs had worn out from the constant pounding.

Ishaka decapitated a creature, and then glanced up. There was a massive pillar of rock behind him, hanging on the ledge of where it was safe to walk. He saw that, if it were to fall, it would fall towards the exit of the cave. Now, if only…

"Hey!" He barked towards a nearby Goron captain. "You gotta Bombchu?"

"Yes, but only one works, brother!" The captain replied. "The other one can't get its fuse lit!"

"They cond'ctive 'xplosions?" Ishaka asked, feeling really tired. The Goron captain nodded.

"Yes, but it's very dangerous! We'll need time and some space to set them up and-"

"JES' DO IT, DAMMIT! I GIVE YEH ALL TH' TIME YA WANT!" Ishaka roared, kicking a Stalchild in the face so hard the skull caved in on itself. The Goron captain nodded.

"Brothers!" He boomed. "Summon the Bombchus!"

…

"By the Goddesses, how is it so cold in here?" Impa asked, completely shivering by now. They had followed Sheik into the depths of the caves for a few minutes now, and were stunned with how different it was in these caverns. Crystals, mirrors, reflections, and frost. Completely antithetical to what they knew Ishaka was fighting in. Still, there was something about this mysterious Sheik that was leading them that led Impa to believe that they were on the right path.

Eventually, they were led to a dark culdesac within the cave. It was near impossible to see what was going on in here. Yet Impa felt the skin stand up on the back of her neck. This was an evil room. She knew it. Sheik turned to face them.

"Ready your weapons." He said. He strummed his harp, sending up what appeared to be a flare of some sort. Impa and Link looked up, and their jaws nearly fell in shock. For floating above them was some wispy black mist, with what appeared to be a malevolent outline of a face inside it. It looked at them, and let out a shriek. The mist spiraled downwards to the ground, and took corporeal shape in the form of a ragged old Poe.*

"Get it!" Impa barked.

She and Link lunged for the creature, while Stalchildren emerged from the ground and attacked their backup. Even Sheik was forced to grab a weapon and jump into the fray.

Impa let out a banshee-like screech and she hacked and slashed at the creature, but was increasingly frustrated by her lack of contact or any corporeal damage. The Spirit of the Cave began to laugh, and pointed a crooked finger at her in a mocking fashion.

"_Yoouuuuuu are weeeeeaakkkk…_" It hissed. It was about to fire a blast of dark energy from that fingertip, but it never got the chance. There was a flash of steel, and then a horrible shriek. Link had leapt forward, and severed the hand of the Spirit clean off, the pointer finger still extended. Everyone watched in awe as the hand went completely corporeal, and then crumbled to dust as time finally caught up to it.

The Stalchildren turned their attention to this strange creature that had harmed their master, but effortless slashes from his blade turned them into a pile of dust and decaying bones. The Spirit of the Caves tried to disappear into a haze of smoke, but Sheik played another melody on his harp, making the light in the room even brighter and causing the Spirit to become even more corporeal. So much so that it was knocked to the ground, as if weights had been fastened beneath it. It saw Link approaching it, a determined look on his face, and held up its hands. If it could think, it would have tried to flee, or leave to fight another day. But the Spirit of the Caves did none of these things.

What it did instead, in its final moments, before that glowing blade came crashing down and brought eternal darkness with it, was fight off the irresistible urge to flee.

To beg.

To crawl.

Impa and Sheik, as well as the rest of the group, stared in awe at Link as he walked back towards them. He sheathed his sword, and had a slightly carefree expression on his face. Proxi was floating around his head, but it was clear that even she was dumbfounded by what she had seen. Link looked at the group, and then glanced down at his left hand.

Even though it was covered in a glove, the Triforce of Courage was glowing with a brilliant light that shined through the leather.

They slowly made their way back to the beginning of the caves, where they had been separated from Ishaka and the rest of the Ravagers. There was a mountain of bones on the ground, and Impa praised the Goddesses that the number of their fallen was microscopically small. They made their way to Ishaka, who was leaning against a massive pillar of rock while the Gorons finished prepared the Bombchus.

"Are you alright, Ishaka?" Impa asked. The Ravager leader was covered in bony dust, from splintering countless Stalchildren, and was teetering back and forth on his heels.

"M'fine!" He said, in a strangely chipper voice. "I be th' best I…I ever be!" He said. Impa glanced at the Goron captain.

"He broke up enough Stalchildren to fill a valley of graves and has been smoking something of indeterminate origin but most determinate barbiturate nature." The captain said. "Would you give me a hand in moving him? I'd hate to see this one caught in the blast radius."

Sighing mightily, Impa walked over to Ishaka. She stepped under one of his shoulders, and the Goron captain got under the other. With a grunt, the two of them heaved him up and walked him out from under the pillar, as the fuse for the one Bombchu was lit. They barely managed to get out of the zone before the Bombchus detonated, causing the pillar to fall into the lava…but create a perfect line straight for the exit.

"How…'bou' tha'?" Ishaka asked. "Made a bridge. An' it only took whuh…ten sec'nds?"

"More or less." Impa said, smirking at how out of it the exhausted Ravager captain was. She set him down against a rock. "We will rest here for a few moments. I'll let you sleep it off."

"Slee'…slee' it off?" Ishaka asked. "On…th' contrary Sheikah…I be….*Yawn*…I be jes' gettin'…star…ted…" His eyes almost closed, before he managed one more non sequiter. "Smoke if yeh got 'em!"

He started snoring moments later. Impa fought the urge to laugh. Oh, this was most certainly going to be held against him.

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

"**Ordo" – **_A Sheikah expression for a donkey or mule's rear end._

**Eldin Caves – **_A labyrinth of maze-like caves that run underneath the Hyrulian surface, in particular underneath what is colloquially referred to as "Death" Mountain. The Eldin Caves technically fall under the jurisdiction of the Goron Empire, but because of the high amount of dark forces that lurk in there, as well as the extreme temperature differences between the volcanic underbelly of some of the cave in comparison to the icy interior where the "Spirit of the Cave" dwells, it is difficult for any Goron colony to settle in. Despite this, the Goron Chieftain keeps an attachment of his toughest soldiers to recon the area, along with a steady amount of Bombchus to break through harder rock._

**Poe – **_Some spirits die with dignity, and are allowed to keep their physical semblance as they pass on to the next life and to the eternal journey. Some other spirits, however, are not given this luxury. These are the spirits that cursed the names of the Goddeses, or who delighted in harming those around them, or let their hearts grow cold as ice. As punishment, their "eternal" life is that as a misshapen and grotesque ghostly figure…a corporeal figure that can be "killed" by mortals…before they regenerate again to repeat the same cursed cycle._


	8. Act I: Why Did It Have To Be Spiders?

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

When he came to, Ishaka was aware that it was much cooler out. Night had fallen, and they were no longer in the Eldin Caves. Groaning, he slowly sat up. He had been lying down. Someone had moved him from where he was last. Where was he last? Ah, right. He'd been standing next to that pillar they were going to bomb, he'd been in pain so he lit up some sharp stuff to dull the pain…and now he was here.

Groaning, he shook his head. He must've loaded too much in this time.

"Sleep well?" He heard a voice. He turned, and saw Impa sitting in seiza position next to him. Groaning, Ishaka rubbed his forehead, trying to ignore the pounding headache he had.

"Yeah, I be 'ite." Ishaka said. "Tha's th' last time I smoke tha' stuff af'er a fight, Sheikah." He muttered. He reached into his duster pocket, pleased to see that no one had taken his pipe while he was out. He grabbed it, reached into another pocket for his lighter and some snuff, and struck up a match against the sole of his boot. Impa stared at him with a combination of fascination and horror.

"You pass out from delirium that was exacerbated by you smoking some sort of concoction in that pipe, pass out for an entire evening, wake up early the next morning, and the _first thing _you do upon waking is smoke?" The Sheikah warrior asked. Ishaka looked at her and shrugged.

"'elps me wake up, Sheikah." He said. "Yeh can't b'gru'ge a man tha' much." Impa raised an eyebrow.

"You sound a lot like Justinian did, when I caught him with several bottles of mead next to the war room map." She said. Ishaka narrowed his eyes.

"I be callin' malarkey on yeh. There ain't no way yeh don't 'ave yer own vices, Sheikah." He said. Impa smirked.

"I have no vices, Ishaka. I am only motivated by my defense of the princess, and my love of Hyrule and her people. That is my drug."

"Yeh soun' like a self-'elp book." Ishaka said. "I ain't ever read one, but tha's what yeh soun' like."

"If name-calling makes you feel better about your foolishness, then by all means continue." Impa said. She smoothly stood up from seiza, and looked down upon the Ravager captain. "If you take a look around you, you'll see that we're in the Faron Woods."

Ishaka glanced around them. Sure enough, instead of a massive and gloomy (not to mention burning warm) cavern that surrounded them, they were in the branches of some truly massive trees. The Faron Woods* carried a very pleasant and soothing smell of nature, and there were many signs of vibrance and life. Green. Greens as far as the eye could see.

And yet, if Ishaka listened carefully, he could hear that no birds sang.

"So we be." He said, puffing a cloud of haze around his face. Impa wrinkled her nose, but otherwise did not change her expression.

"We're trying to find the princess in here. She has to be, because the magic is getting stronger. One can feel it in the air." She said.

"Huh. An' I though' it 'twas jus' what I be smokin' that got ev'rythin' so sharp." Ishaka mumbled. Impa rolled her eyes.

"What I was _getting _at is that I took the liberty of sending some of your scouts to see if there was any rebellious force in the Woods that didn't look like it belonged to the forces of darkness." She shrugged. "I hope you don't mind."

"Nah. I couldn't do tha', wha' wit' me bein' knocked out an' all." Ishaka said. He glanced down across the way. They were all on a monstrous tree branch, so thick and stout that it could pass for an aerial highway. He looked through the Ravager soldiers and Hyrulian soldiers resting, until his eyes caught the one he was looking for. "Who is tha' Sheikah, Sheikah?" He asked.

"Sheik?" Impa's eyes narrowed. "I am not certain." She said. "All I know is that he's lying." At this, Ishaka's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh? And what migh' that be, Sheikah?"

"I am the chieftain of the Sheikah tribe in Hyrule." Impa said. She stared coldly at Ishaka. "There _is _no 'Sheik' in my tribe."

The two warriors sat there, away from the mess of their soldiers, resting on a large shelf mushroom that jutted out from the trunk of the titanic tree they were all camped upon. Both of them watched the mysterious individual in the distance with earnest. Sheik was casually gliding through the ranks, absently strumming that harp of his. It was a song both soothing and up-tempo, so as not to lull one to sleep but definitely to keep one's mind at ease. He passed by Link, who was in the middle of teaching some of the younger recruits some sword techniques, and stared at the Hero for a moment. But then he was back to patrolling through the ranks, as if he'd never stopped. Impa was far too busy pondering the identity of their new companion to notice the crafty grin slowly forming on Ishaka's face.

"Whacha think? Can we trust 'im?" Ishaka asked. Impa sighed.

"He seems like he is trying to help us. I can respect that, for now, but I cannot condone this secrecy." She said. "For now, he can run with us. But the _moment _I sense that he is not on the straight…we take care of him."

"Mighty cold 'a ya, Sheikah." Ishaka mused, standing up now and leaning against the massive tree trunk. "Killin' someone yeh don' know?"

"This is war, Ishaka." Impa said. "Considering what our enemy is capable of doing and more importantly _willing _to do in order to destroy our morale, I can't trust anyone." She frowned. "Well, most everyone."

Ishaka chuckled.

"Yeh mean 'im?" He asked, pointing to Link. The young man below them had a dopey grin on his face as some of the younger, dirtier-faced Ravagers were begging him to tell them stories about how he'd killed the King Dodongo. At this point, though most if not all of them had actually witnessed the moment, the stories were a form of flattery.* "I can't blame ya, Sheikah. Kid's gotta heart 'a gold, tha's fer sure. Prob'ly wouldn't know mani'pla'tion if'n yeh pointed it out ta 'im."

Impa smiled, watching as that little fairy rose out of Link's cap and no doubt started to tell the Ravagers to stop embarrassing Link with their silliness.

"I suppose so. He is the Hero, after all. But then again, he is not the only one I've come to trust." Impa stared pointedly at Ishaka. The Ravager took a long drag from his pipe, and laughed.

"Don' put too much 'a yer faith in me, Sheikah. I'm th' guy tha' smoked 'imself unconscious after a battl'." It was the wink that caused Impa to roll her eyes again, but there was no denying the smirk that he'd put on her face.

…

There was a shrill whistle, enough to make everyone in the camp look up. Two Ravagers, a craol and an upper Hylian*, were sprinting towards the camp. Both were clearly out of breath. The upper Hylian one regained his composure first, and bellowed as loud as he could so as to get Ishaka's attention.

"Brother Ishaka! There's a massive army of darkness coming from the north! They're headed for a keep holding an unknown party!" He shouted. Quick as a cat, Ishaka was standing on the edge of the mushroom shelf, peering down upon the hundreds of soldiers below him.

"What dey look like?" He asked.

"All sorts, sir! Hyrulian, Craol, spirits of the forest…there is a woman that leads them!"

That was all the encouragement that Impa needed.

"To arms!" Impa shouted. "We'll intercept them at the keep!" She drew her Biggoron Knife, and held it above her head. "Forward!"

"_**OO-RAH!**_"

Link felt Proxi rush back inside him, feeling a warmth in the side of his head where the fairy had disappeared. He wasn't sure how fairies were able to do that, but he didn't really care. She was nice, and did the talking for him. Which was good, because he wasn't really one for chattering. He let his actions speak for him. Speaking of which, seeing as Proxi could speak for him yet not fight for him, it was time to earn his keep.

He drew his sword, and made sure that his shield was secure on his right arm. He was in the middle of the Ravager march, a brisk gallop to make sure that no one fell off of the trees and to the forest floor many feet below, yet not being so slow as to miss the potential ambush. He heard a panting, and saw that Ishaka had already caught up to him, as well as Impa and that mysterious Sheik. The masked Sheikah shared a glance with Link, and nodded as if to affirm that what they were doing was the right thing. Link needed no affirmation, but at the same time wondered why he was so concerned with how Link felt.

...

She felt the lightning leave her fingertips, and watched as it struck a Moblin directly in the chest. The beast let out a strangled yelp as the electricity jolted through its body, before going rigid as a board and falling to the ground with a loud thump. There was no one directly threatening her, so she took a moment to reevaluate the situation.

Their keep, a shabby little walled fort built out of rotten sticks and branches from the mighty trees around them, was in the midst of a full-frontal assault from the forces of darkness. They easily outnumbered her rebellion by fifteen to one, if not more. Her soldiers were fighting bravely, yet there was a pained feeling in her heart as she slowly came to terms with the reality that they would all die in this forest. But if that was so, then it would not be without a fight.

She glanced at the spellbook she cradled in her right arm, and frantically flipped through the pages until she found the incantation she wanted. She spoke the ancient words with clarity and force, and watched as an ethereal square covered in runes formed above the battlefield and dropped straight down, crushing a few Bokoblins. With a wave of her hand in every direction she pointed, the cube rolled around the battlefield, crushing foes yet just barely avoiding her own soldiers. It was a good tactic, but she was starting to feel the strain of constantly firing off spells without a moment to recharge.

She heard a cry, and saw that one of her trusted lieutenants, the first Hyrulian she had approached for this crazy dream of fighting back the darkness, had been knocked down by a Moblin, who thrust his spear downward. The Hyrulian twisted out of the way to avoid a deadly blow, but the spear still pierced his shoulder. He let out a pitiful cry of pain, and the Moblin roared in fiendish delight. Her eyes narrowed, and her brows furrowed, she spoke a word of power, and watched as a jet of blue flame burst from her pointer finger and turned the Moblin into a pile of grey ash. She ran forward, and slid on her knees until she was right beside the fallen Hyrulian captain of her forces. She cradled him in her arms, gently speaking the healing words so that the pain would lessen and he could start healing. It was likely that they would all be dead before the spell could fully take effect, but she could not stand to see those loyal to her be hurt.

"Mi…milady, I'm sorry." He said through gritted teeth, trying to smile despite the pain. She placed a finger on his lips.

"Shh. It was an honor that you should fight for me." She said. She saw that the forces of darkness had surrounded her rebellion. She closed her eyes, hugged her captain tightly, and prayed that it would be quick.

…

Then they heard it. It was a rumble, coming from the distance, as if a thunderstorm on the ground. It was growing louder and more forceful, enough to cause the forces of darkness to stop fighting. They, as well as the rebellion, turned in the direction of the coming storm. It was from beyond the one wall of the keep that had not been breached. It was getting louder. Louder. Louder. Louder.

There was a terrific cracking noise, as the heavy wooden gate was splintered open. Standing in the middle of the wreckage was a man. Easily over six and a half feet tall, his hair a wild mess on his head and a bushy beard that went down to the top of his collarbone. A faded and battered duster, and equally battered leather armor underneath it. Two terrifying-looking knifes, one in each hand. A pipe dangling from his closed mouth. And an indubitable twinkle in his eye.

He reared his head back, and blew the smoke out of his mouth like a dragon rising. And then he let the pipe drop from his lips and screamed.

_"EEEYYYYOOOOWWWWWW!"_

As if on cue, a row of archers emerged from the top of the wall, wearing the distinguished colors of Hyrule or patchwork clothing that was barely held together. It didn't really matter. They all hit their target the same.

Bokoblins, Bulblins, and even the Moblin raid captain of this assault fell before the hissing volley. She looked up to see a river of soldiers pouring through the breach, and slamming into the army of darkness like a veritable tidal wave. Shields were splintered, bones were broken, and spirits shattered. The Moblin captain barely managed to bleat a call for retreat, before an arrow brought him down.

In the middle of the chaos, the massive man reached down and picked up his pipe. He put it back in his mouth (after checking to make sure it wasn't dirty) and relit the thing. He walked forward towards her and the captain, who had recovered enough that he could open his eyes. The massive man was soon joined by two warriors that bore the colors and markings of the Sheikah tribe…and him.

…

She was unlike any girl that Ishaka had ever seen. Radiant blue hair, and violet eyes. A red feather clipped into her hair, and a rather fancy-looking shoulder pauldron that connected the elegant single-shoulder cape she wore. Gold bracelets, sapphire encrusted, and a slightly frilly skirt. One look at her face was all Ishaka needed to know that, though she was most certainly the leader, she was not a warrior at heart. There was a cherubic lightness to her feature, and he could tell that he intimidated her.

Thankfully, Impa was the one to break the tension.

"Are you the one leading these warriors?" She asked. The girl nodded.

"Yes I am."

It was clear that she recognized the importance of the people in front of her, as she had stood up straight and was trying to give off a regal and elegant vibe. Something about it felt forced. Impa gestured to her spellbook.

"You can use magic," she said. "Where did you learn your craft?" The girl shrugged.

"Oh…well, I'm a sorceress." She said. "You know the one who started this war? Cia? We come from the same magical clan."

This news brought a wave of raised eyebrows. So they had a name. Cia. Cia was the one that had caused this mess. Cia was the one that had invaded Hyrule. Cia was the one that had dared to attack on the princess' birthday. Cia was the one that was responsible for the death of Lord Justinian Tiberius, and the missing status of the princess.

Cia.

They had a name. And in a way that was liberating.

"Ah, well. That explains it…" Impa said. Sheik and Link nodded in agreement, but Ishaka just kept staring at the girl. He could tell, by the way her eyes had darted around during that last bit, that this girl knew a little bit more about Cia than she was letting on. But he was savvy enough to know that now was most certainly not the time in which to press her.

"And what does this 'Cia' want from Hyrule?" Impa asked. Ishaka rolled his eyes. A bit of an obvious question.

"Death? Destr'ction? A nice summ'r 'ome in th' south?" Ishaka said, before he could stop himself.

That got him another slap, this time a backhand to the cheek from an annoyed Impa. The mysterious girl giggled, most definitely amused.

"You really want to know?" She asked. She cocked her head to the side. Ishaka groaned on the inside. He knew that posture. That was the posture of someone who was being coy. And of someone who didn't believe in 'no-strings-attached information.' "Well…" She continued, glancing off to the side. Then she turned towards the group. "Help me defend the forest! If you do that…" She giggled, a twinkle in her eye. "I might tell you."

Yup. There it was.

"Seri'sly?" Ishaka asked. The girl nodded, a Cheshire grin forming on her face. For once, Impa was inclined to agree with her unruly partner on his attitude. They'd just come out of the Eldin Caves for…this?

But before they could ask or press her for more, the girl had turned around and started running away from them, leading her recovered troops in the direction that the Moblin forces had retreated from.

…

In the distance, floating high above the battlefield, Wizzro let out a throaty laugh.

"Hiya ha ha! Scatter those Hyrulian and ruffian pests!" He rasped. "Kill! KILL!"

"So that's the wizard that's in charge of these monsters, huh?" The mysterious girl mused. "I bet if we drive him off, the monsters will go away!"

"Whuh-what wizar-" Impa was cut off by the girl, who pointed in the distance to the distant Wizzro floating and conducting its arms like a maestro. The girl raced off again, and Sheik came up alongside Impa.

"She…is interesting." The Sheikah fighter mused. Impa was too baffled by this sorceress' spontaneity to think too hard about the identity of this man beside her, so she just nodded dumbly.

"Hiya ha hah!" Wizzro bellowed, waving its hand full of dark magic. "Here's a little something for you!"

There was a rumbling sound, and across the battlefield massive-stalked plant…things with purple mouths erupted and began to spew clouds of a purple hazy gas. Anyone that came within close contact of it, whether it was light or dark, began to cough frighteningly hard.

"What are those things?" Sheik asked.

"Deku Babas*!" The sorceress girl cried. "We've got to take them down or else they'll poison the whole forest to death!" Indeed, some of the gas was causing the trees around to start exhibiting slightly pallid coloring, as if the trees were getting sick.

"Don't get close!" Ishaka shouted. "Shoot 'em in th' mouth!" He barked to some of his archers. The Ravager archer line took their time, lined up their shots, and let the arrows fly straight and true. Each scored a direct hit, and soon all that remained of the Deku Babas was a rapidly fading cloud of poisonous gas that was being taken in by the forest's purifying air.

The numbers of the army of darkness had also been reduced to almost negligible size. The leaders of the allied coalition took the time to regroup.

"Where to from here?" Impa asked. The sorceress pointed in two directions.

"We need to retake the southern tree and the western tree." She said. "We have to eventually get back to the Great Deku Tree* in the center of the forest, otherwise that nasty wizard will destroy it, and the forest will die!"

"That is all the motivation I need." Impa said. She turned to the rest of the group. "Split the difference. Sheik and I shall head to the south. Ishaka, take Link and…hm…what's your name?" She turned to the sorceress.

"Lana!" The sorceress said with a smile. "My name is Lana. And I'd be happy to go with Link and Yeechaka!" She said.

"Ishaka." Impa politely corrected her.

"Isn't that what I said?" Lana asked, a look of confusion on her face. Ishaka grinned, but said nothing of it. For now.

"Move!" Impa barked. The Ravager and Hyrulian coalition splintered at this crossroads, with Impa and Sheik taking one half towards the south. Lana, Link, and Ishaka took the rest (and what remained of Lana's rebellion) towards the west.

…

It was easy. The forces of darkness had been taking their sweet time whittling away at Lana's little rebellion, expecting that it would be a walk in the woods to take things over. They most certainly had not accounted for a completely refreshed army of Hyrulians and Ravagers to come in and even and then tip the odds in their own favor. And it showed on the battlefield. Impa thrust her Biggoron knife right into the chest of the Moblin captain, ripping the blade back out and spinning it around her head like glittering fan. Most of the Bokoblins dropped their weapons and fled with terror. Sheik, in turn, would take advantage of this cowardice by throwing her seemingly endless supply of shruikan into their backs. She hadn't missed yet.

Lana felt herself starting to be more invigorated, as the onus of leading the battle was no longer hers and hers alone. The presence of these new warriors was more than enough to let her step back a little bit and regenerate her energy and strength, and it showed in how she moved. She felt a spring returning to her step, and the thought of casting another spell no longer seemed like a chore. It was as it should be: something to be excited about, and something that she could do without even thinking. And so it was.

But even her mighty sorcery paled to the impact that the two men protecting her had. Ishaka and Link combined were a veritable pair of destruction, cutting through the forces of darkness like butter. Their styles mixed together with precision and gory perfection: Link's almost balletic speed and grace connecting with Ishaka's raw power and ferocity to create a near-unstoppable machine of fighting spirit.

The keep boss was a Bulblin, who fell to the combined efforts of Link and Ishaka. The Ravager captain had kicked the Bulblin in the face so hard he had felt the beast's nose crumple beneath his boot, and almost as soon as the creature fell to the ground Link finished it with a downward stab to the chest. Lana thrust her hand towards the ground, creating a glowing blue sphere. Its intention was to signal that they had taken the western tree. The entirety of their attack force glanced over to the south, and through the chaos of battle they could see Impa waving in affirmative that their force had captured the southern tree.

"Whew! We're recovering the forest!" Lana said. She pointed to the absolutely massive tree in the middle that looked like it had eyebrows and a mustache. "Let's all regroup in the Great Deku Tree, and go from there!"

Ishaka nodded, and then climbed up one of the branches nearby, so that Impa could see him. He whistled to get her attention, and then started flashing a series of hand signals. In the short time that he'd worked with the Hyrulian forces, he had learned their basic hand communications for battle. He signaled that they were retreating towards the Great Deku Tree, and that they wanted Impa's force to join her as well. He saw her cock her head as she deciphered the signals, and then her eyes widened in understanding. She gave a raised hand, and waved frantically. Then she started signing towards him.

"Whuh-what are they doing?" Lana asked Link. Before the Hylian could answer, Proxi popped out of hiding.

"They're communicating battle plans…or dinner plans? I'm not sure, but it looks cool!"

Lana giggled, and nodded. She glanced at Link.

"Can you imagine making dinner plans like that?" She asked him. Link felt a little embarrassed that she was talking to him and him alone, and so he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He shrugged, and shook his head. Lana giggled again.

"You're not one for talking much, are you Link?" She asked. Proxi started glowing brightly.

"Wait, how do you know Link's name? We didn't properly introduce ourselves!"

Lana looked like she'd been caught in a trap, but before she could stammer an explanation, Ishaka hopped back down.

"Ravagers!" He barked. "To th' Grea' Deku Tree!"

Lana took this distraction to race to the front of the force, leaving a sizable gap between her and Link and Proxi, before they knew what was going on.

…

After a few minutes, everyone had reconvened in the center of the Great Deku Tree. There was a deep rumbling noise, and everyone except Lana looked around in confusion.

"That was the Great Deku Tree!" She said with a smile. "It's very happy you came to help out. It says that you're safe inside of it!"

"Huh. Di'n't know tha' trees 'ad their own langu'ge…" Ishaka muttered. He lit up his pipe again.

There was another rumble, this time more forceful.

"Um…the Great Deku Tree would prefer that you didn't smoke inside of it, Yeeshasa." Lana said. "It's not a big fan of fire. Being a tree, you know."

Ishaka hastily extinguished his pipe and placed it back in his pocket. He also daintly rubbed the floor, as if that would make things better.

…

Increasingly frustrated at the ineptitude of its forces, Wizzro snarled. It floated aimlessly for a moment, wondering what it could do to turn the tides. Then, it got an idea. An awful idea. Wizzro got a wonderful, awful idea.

"Hiya hah ha!" It cackled. "Enjoy your little success, weasels! My next plan will burn your spirits to ashes! Hiya ha!" It raised its hands to the sky.

…

Lana's Hyrulian captain was the first to notice that something was wrong. He smelled something burning, glanced towards the outside of the Great Deku Tree, and let out a yell.

"Whoa, I can see flames! A fire's been started!"

Everyone could feel the temperature rising, and sure enough flames were visible to the edges of the mouth of the Great Deku tree.

"Everyone, get outside!" Impa roared. She turned towards the Goron squadron on loan to her. "Clear a path! No one gets left inside here!" They nodded, and tucked themselves into balls and rolled towards the entrance, where a large band of dark forces gathered. They struck the enemy like bowling ball against the pins, and cleared an open path to retreat from.

"I can't believe those monsters!" Lana said as they ushered the last soldier out of the Great Deku Tree. "They set fire to the Great Deku Tree! Don't they know what that'll do to the forest!"

"Yeah, an' I bet they don' care!" Ishaka said, picking her up over his shoulder when he saw she wasn't moving fast enough.

"Put-me-down-put-me-down!" Lana yelled with each step. When he finally did, she gave him a slap right across the face.

"Agh! Wha' wa' tha' fo'?" Ishaka said, his hand covering his smarting mouth and cheek. Lana stomped the ground in frustration.

"I'm not some damsel to be carried off like a prize!" She said. "I needed to make sure that no one was left behind in the Great Deku Tree!"

"We can't lose yeh!" Ishaka said. "Altr'ism 'sgood in all, bu' tha's jes' stupid! I had ta save ya!"

"Why?" Lana demanded. Ishaka got in real close. Lana felt a shiver as she realized just how monstrously big he was.

"Cuz I thinks yer hidin' somethin' abou' Cia." He said with a growl. He glanced towards the Great Deku Tree, which was burning brightly. "Can we save it?"

"Yes…" Lana said, slowly regaining her composure. "But we'll need to seek out a Great Fairy Fountain! _The _Great Fairy Fountain, the one that is to the north of the forest!"

"What're we waitin' fer?" Ishaka asked. "Les' MOVE!"

He took the forefront of the charge, leading a branch of the Ravagers towards the general direction Lana was directing him. Link, Impa, and Sheik followed behind, making quick work of anyone that came too close.

They reached the entrance to the Great Fairy's tree, and were relieved to see that there was nothing blocking the entrance to the fountain. Lana ran to the middle of the room, and quickly began to speak the summoning incantation. The runes and carvings in the walls, floor and ceiling began to light up again.

"Link! Stand in the middle of the magic circle!" Lana shouted. "I can feel you've got a great magic coming from you…with me and you together, there's no way that the Great Fairy can ignore us!"

She was right, and shortly thereafter Link and the rest of the group bore witness to the creation of another Great Fairy. She stared at the group with sultry eyes, waiting for their silly little wish. Lana spoke with conviction.

"Save the Great Deku Tree!" She said. The Great Faily flipped her hair, as if this was the easiest request in the world, and exploded in a puft of fairy dust and uproarious laughter. There was a pause, and then the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning. It was completely pouring outside.

The fires of the Great Deku Tree were almost immediately quenched, and in the middle of the chaos the Ravagers struck first. They used any technique they could to knock members of the forces of darkness off of their feet, and sent the slipping off of the slicked branches of trees and down towards the crushing fall of the forest floor below. In relatively short time, they had cleaned out the remainder of Wizzro's army.

Link, Impa, Ishaka, and Lana walked out of the Great Fairy Fountain along with the Ravagers and Hyrulians that had joined them, and regrouped with the rest of their army. There was no sign of anything dangerous anywhere. The rain still poured with fury.

…

Wizzro growled.

"Bah! If you want something done right…you summon a bigger fish!" It waved its hands, casting a magic spell of summoning. "Hiya ha hah! They'll love this one!"

It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

…

"So what happens now?" Lana asked. "Is it over?"

"It would appear so." Sheik said. "I cannot sense any darkness around us."

"Right." Impa said, looking at Sheik suspiciously. "Then we can get to the crux of the matter…"

"…That bein', what d'ya know abou' Cia?" Ishaka asked. He turned towards Lana. "We defended yer fores'. Part 'a th' deal. Spill it."

"Oh, okay." Lana said. "Well, the truth is that I knew Cia from a very young age…"

She kept talking, but Ishaka wasn't listening. He was looking behind her, an increasingly cold sense of horror growing in his chest at the sight above and behind her. Something monstrous was moving slowly down the tree trunk, its legs spindly and spiderlike. It looked at Lana, and he saw as its burning red eye turned a searing blue.

"DOWN!" He roared, tackling Lana to the ground, as a laser beam erupted from the creature's eye. It ripped across the tree branch, and caught a couple of Ravagers and Hyrulians. They didn't even have time to scream.

"Scatter!" Impa shouted, drawing her Biggoron knife. The Ravagers and Hyrulians retreated towards the inside of the Great Deku Tree, leaving behind Impa, Sheik, Link, Ishaka and Lana. There was a rumbling, and the Great Deku Tree closed its mouth, no doubt to protect the soldiers inside from this monster.

"Wha' th' 'ell is THAT?" Ishaka roared in shock.

"Gohma*!" Proxi shrieked, flying around Link's head. "Don't let it get you!"

Ishaka ducked under one of the creature's spear-like legs, and with a yell swung his knives at the joint. They clanged off of the creature's hide like stone, creating a spark.

"Its hide is nigh-inpenetrable!" Proxi wailed. "Go for the eye! The eye!"

Link and Ishaka stayed underneath the creature's belly, hacking and slashing as best as they could, but neither of them could get to the creature's soft eye. Gohma shrieked, and tried to sit on them. When that didn't work, she thrusted her stinger at them in an effort to impale them clean through. Impa shifted back and forth on her toes, looking for an opening to rush in. There was none. She felt the frustration building. Her Biggoron knife was the only weapon big enough to take out that creature's eye and then kill it outright. Sheik rolled out of the way of a laser blast, and rolled up next to Sheik.

"If you are given a distraction, can you kill the creature?" Sheik asked. Impa stared at him with distrust, but nodded. "Good. You will see the opportunity when it arrives." Impa was about to ask what he meant, but she had merely blinked and he was gone.

"You are beginning to annoy me, 'Sheik.'" Impa muttered darkly. But for now, she did nothing but dance on the sidelines, waiting for the moment to strike.

…

Sheik found scaling the tree rather easy, considering the slickness of the wood. He kept climbing until he landed on a mushroom shelf. He glanced around, knowing that he'd felt some pressure coming from this spot earlier in the fight. He nodded when he saw the fallen body of a Bokoblin archer. He picked up the creature's bow and quiver, knowing that the beast no longer needed it. He wrinkled his nose. Bokoblin bows were brittle little pieces of garbage, but a bow was a bow at the end of the day. Still, he needed to get the creature's attention from this high up. Gohmas were incredibly dangerous, but also quite stupid and easy to trick when angered. Considering how frustrating it must be to deal with Link hacking at its underbelly and Ishaka insulting its intelligence, it was most certainly riled up at this point.

Sheik put his plan into motion. He placed his harp in the crook of his right elbow, and wrapped his hand around so that it could feasibly pluck the strings. He took an arrow, and nocked it into the bow. From there, he clamped down on the feathered end of the arrow with his teeth, and pulled the bow away from his face with his remaining hand. He felt the stress on his teeth and jaw, and knew that he didn't have too much time. He began to pluck.

Impa, Link, Ishaka, and even Gohma were soon made aware of a sound. It echoed across the air, and was immediately and easily heard. It was, quite frankly, the most goddess awful fucking noise they'd ever heard in their lives. It sounded like a blind drunkard had found a violin, and was scratching the strings with a coin in an effort to "play" the instrument.

Impa winced, and tried to block the sound out. Her Sheikah meditation skills were good…but this was testing them. The sound was so bad that Link and Ishaka had stopped fighting, and were holding their ears in pain. (Ishaka was violently and filthily swearing and threatening that he would murder the perpetrator in most gruesomesly colorful ways) Lana was begging the Goddesses that this most infernal sound was silenced, going so far as to lie prostrate on the ground and begging.

But Gohma was even worse. Shrieking in pain, the creature started to slam the tree branch they stood on in frustration, as if that would get the noise to stop. Howling some more, it thrashed about, trying to block out the noise. When that failed, it reverted to a plan that had helped it plenty in the past: laser.

It looked up in the direction of the noise, and its eye began to glow bright blue. The light in the darkness brought on by the rain was enough to barely illuminate Sheik like a silhouette. Impa could just barely make out the fact that Sheik had removed his mouth wrap so that he could hold the arrow in his teeth, but before she could get a closer look she saw an arrow fly straight and true. It embedded itself in Gohma's eye, with a little spurt of blood coming from the wound. The creature shrieked in pain, and Impa realized that this was the opening that she needed.

She sprinted forward, running as fast as she could before the creature could recover. She saw that Ishaka was facing her.

"Lift!" Impa barked. Like a sixth sense, Ishaka deciphered what she meant. He got down on one knee, and cupped his hands low and by his ankle. Impa ran so that her left foot landed in his hands while in stride, and soon felt that unbearable lightness of being as Ishaka hoisted her into the air.

The last thing Gohma saw was a shining blade and a roaring Sheikah warrior.

The Biggoron knife went through the eye completely, and Impa could feel it strike something beyond, perhaps even the brain. She was coated in a splash of disgusting blood and gore, and the Gohma shuddered and went still. Then it fell forward.

Right on top of her.

"Sheikah!" Ishaka shouted. Lana, Link, and he had encircled the slain beast. There was no sign of the Sheikah warrior underneath. Sheik had rejoined the group, and had put his mask back on.

There was a silence. And then, a muffled groan.

"Get…this…_thing…_off me."

Chuckling, Ishaka grabbed low underneath the corpse, and with a roar (and a little help from Link and Lana and Sheik, though he didn't really need it) hoisted Gohma's corpse up. Groaning, Impa rolled out from underneath the beast. She was drenched in its blood, though thankfully the rain was slowly taking care of that. There was a rumbling, and the mouth of the Great Deku Tree opened and allowed the Ravagers and Hyrulians to emerge.

Impa got back to her feet, and sighed. It would be hell getting her knife out of that creature's eye. At least it was dead. And the battle was over. They had won.

Everyone else seemed to recognize that, as the rest of the group all turned their eyes towards Lana. The sorceress looked around, and then giggled sheepishly.

"Eh heh heh…I guess I have some explaining to do?" She said. Impa folded her arms.

"I was just buried by a most foul beast for your forest. I'd say yes. Yes, you do."

…

It was quiet in the Temple of Souls. Wizzro had returned, muttering something darkly about failed attacks and spontaneous rainfall. Volga had seen the wizard's features and demeanor, and responded to this by laughing uproariously. And then laughing some more. Not even an attempted hex gave the Dragon Warrior pause. He continued following the wizard back to the depths of the temple, laughing and laughing some more.

They passed by the sorcerer's room, Cia's private chambers. The door was slightly askew, but neither dared to open it and let their master know what had happened. She was busy. And she could wait to hear about what had happened.

…

She sat in the middle of the black and white tiled floor, her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knees. Her eyes were closed, and her face was a mask of longing and wistfulness. Her mouth closed, she began to hum a soft little tune. As she hummed, her shadow seemed to detach from her body. It rested in the middle of the room, and began to bubble and rise from the ground. It continued to rise from the ground, becoming less formless as it grew. Finally, it appeared to take a humanoid form. Cia's humming faded away, and in its place was her honeyed voice. She slowly rose from the ground, her singing soft and haunting.

_Onlllyyyyy yoooouuuu…can make…this world seem briiiight…_

Eyes still closed, she started to walk towards this living shadow. It was becoming more refined and crystallized. A face was beginning to form. Clothes, and arms and legs.

_Onlllyyyyy yoooouuuu…can make the darkness…briiiiiiight…_

She continued to close the gap. She was somewhere deep within her desires, eyes closed and her face a mask of contented bliss.

_Onlllyyyy yoooouuuu…and you…allooooonnneeee…_

…_Can thrill me like…you doooo…._

Her shadow had now taken complete form. It looked like a youth of heroic feature and conviction, and yet it was a shadow nonetheless. It stared at her, seemingly expectantly, before extending its arm as if playing a gentleman. She grasped its hand in hers, and pulled it in close. She rested her head on its shoulders, and they slowly swayed to the sound of her voice.

_And fill….my heeeaaaarrrttt…with love…_

…_for onlyyyyyyyyy…yooouuuuu…._

Slowly, the shadow began to fade away, dissolving into a cloud of smoke. She stayed frozen in place, as if still dancing with her lover. She slowly opened her eyes, and her expression changed to one of wistful sorrow. She closed her eyes again, but the feeling was gone.

She fell to her knees. And she held her hands to her chest, shaking slightly.

If one listened carefully through the halls of the Temple of Souls, one could faintly hear the soft sound of a woman crying.

A/N: Another one in the books. If you have the time, check out the poll on my profile. It might help push the plot if enough people check in. All reviews are welcome.

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**Faron Woods – **_The Faron Woods are a mystical place, located to the northwest quadrant of Hyrule. There is a thick air of magic to this wondrous place, and nature flourishes in its undisturbed glory here. The woods are impossibly deep and thick, and the most famous aspect of the depths of the woods are the absolutely inconceivably large trees. Legend has it that their roots stretch across the entirety of Hyrule. None of those trees carry the mystique and legend of the Great Deku Tree, the watchful guardian of the forest. It is a fully sentient tree, whose roots go down to the core of the planet, and is said to be rooted to the very lifeblood of the planet. A popular legend is that the Great Deku Tree was planted by the Three Goddesses as the world's first plant, and considered the magical abilities of this place, it is not a stretch to believe this legend. The Faron Woods are also unique in that neither the forces of good or evil, no matter how much time and how many resources are spent, are able to completely claim the forest for their own use. The Faron Woods are old, and are beyond the petty squabbles of light and dark. They represent something more…ancient._

**Ravager Tales – **_As the "Ravagers" are a loose confederacy of peoples linked together by a common cause (personal loss), and yet are a very young "people", there are few (if any) written records of their favorite stories. In fact, it is unknown just how literate their society is. Thus, the power of the spoken word is priceless in this roaming community. That is not to say that verbosity equates to value in the community. Rather, it is the quality of one's storytelling abilities that makes one more valued. Thus, it is feasible for a Ravager leader to not be able to read a single word, be unable to speak more than a three-syllable word, and yet still captivate his audience with a story. It is not uncommon for younger Ravagers to try to establish their storytelling prowess by a verbal game of one-upsmanship: they will take a story that is well-known, and retell it with even more passion and detail. The mark of a good storyteller is how long they can weld ridiculous fabrications to the original story before a more learned member of the community calls them on their lies._

**Upper Hylian – **_A colloquial term referring to Hyrulians raised in the upper north of the country. They are fair-skinned, and relatively unassuming in size. Considering that most of them live close to the castle and nowhere near hard labor areas, their only real profession is in banking or other jobs usually scorned by people of the earth. A popular saying in the outer territories is that though the Goron mines the stones and the Low Hyrulian braves the seas and the Craol harvests the grain, it is the "High"rulian that has the power because he's the one counting the money. This saying can be said with either great mirth or great bitterness. Both are equally effective._

**Deku Babas – **_The canker sore of the forests. These obnoxious little beasts fall somewhere in between that unholy grey zone of beast and plant. They are stalk-necked mouths that spew poison, and upon their death their stalks become wonderfully sturdy wood to build houses, or furniture, or even arrows. No one is sure exactly whether to classify them as plants or animals, and they sure as hell aren't going to risk their lungs being seared inside out for the sake of a question that doesn't really need to be answered. The strategy for seeing a Deku Baba sprout is simple: stomp on the little bastard early, and if that fails…get a-weed whackin'._

**Great Deku Tree – **_Little, if anything, can be described about the Great Deku Tree. Stories say that it is the first plant that ever graced the planet, and that from this all floral life sprung. A true sign of the mystery of the Great Deku Tree is that even the most ardent of anti-theists throw up their hands in exasperation when trying to explain the existence of the Great Deku Tree. Even absurdists are weirded out by the presence of an inconceivably large tree with what appears to be a mustache and eyebrows, and that allegedly can talk to those that it deems completely pure of heart (though that takes a lot of training on the listener's part), and so frequently change the subject or come up with the idea of some sort of magical mutation. (Even then, the logic isn't very convincing)_

_Theological debates aside, what __can__ be proven is that the Great Deku Tree watches over the Faron Woods with a steady eye, and keeps the land vibrant and green and full of life. Pilgrims take a risk in venturing deep into the woods for the chance to place their hands on the bark of this mighty tree (to ask to intercede for their prayers, for blessings, etc.), and yet in the hundreds and hundreds of years of people doing this…despite the ever-present dangers in the Faron Woods…not a single pilgrim has been lost or has failed in their mission to reach the tree._

**Gohma – **_It is a good thing that these creatures can take years and years to give birth, because if there were more of these creatures in existence or if they had a faster reproductive rate…the rest of the ecosystem would be in severe jeopardy. The best possible description of these beasts is, in the words of less formal scholars, "giant spiders with frickin' laser beams in their eyes." Admittedly, the qualifier attached to laser beams has been a more contemporary addition to the definition, but the fact remains that Gohmas, armored monstrous arachnids as they are, are the scourges of the forests. Thankfully, none are found outside of the depths of the Faron Woods. It makes one wonder if the reason they don't leave the woods is because they __can't__ leave. Perhaps the Great Deku Tree plays a role in this cloistering? (See above)_


	9. Act I: The Calm

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game.

The return from the Faron Woods was uneventful. It did not take long for the Hyrulian forces and the Ravagers to scavenge the forest for any remaining elements of evil, and subsequently cleanse them. Impa had a feeling that the forest itself had played a role in making that job so easy. Clearings that had not existed before had materialized, and thick brush cover that would have hidden a Bokoblin scouting party would mysteriously fade away, allowing Ravagers a sneak attack on their sleeping foes. It was a dirty business, which was why she let Ishaka and his men take care of that.

For now, the Sheikah warrior had more important things to worry about. For starters, she would have to return back to the castle in order to report to Elijah that their expedition, for all intents and purposes, was a failure. For while they had seemingly gained themselves an ally and had weakened Cia's grip on the western half of the country, the reality was that their mission was to rescue Princess Zelda, and they had failed in that endeavor.

As for their new ally…

Impa watched as this sorcerer of white light* pranced throughout the camp, graciously tending to any and every soldier that needed her assistance. She seemed very much to enjoy talking to the individual men and women that were fighting in the Hyrulian army, and it wasn't long before the Ravagers were treating her…well, not exactly like an insider, but certainly not as someone to be feared. Impa was not surprised. The girl had a strangely calming effect to her, and an infectious smile that seemed to shine through the darkness that was in front of them these trying days.

But Impa was not a fool. She could see that there was something off in the girl's eyes whenever she smiled. Whenever one asked her about Cia, she would answer with a sort of apologetic grin, but her eyes were melancholy and…hurt? Something that this Cia had done was causing Lana great pain, and Impa resolved to find this information out sooner or later. They were at war, after all. Secrets were of no use to her, especially when things were as dire as they were.

And speaking of secrets…

Impa glanced again at Sheik, who was lying down on one of the flowery mushrooms that had sprouted upon this massive tree branch that they were all camped upon, giving the impression that he was sleeping. Again, Impa was no fool. She could tell that he was not asleep. His breathing was still too quick and shallow for someone that was supposedly off in the land of dreams. Subtle turns of the head, so small that even eagles would be hard-pressed to notice, were enough to clue Impa in to the fact that this mysterious Sheik was still watching Link. What was his fixation on the Hero? And was it something to keep an eye on?

All these things and more were on her mind when she heard the sounds of footsteps behind her. She turned, and saw that Ishaka had returned from his latest foray into the woods. His hair was matted slightly, and his beard was a little bit unkempt. It was a good thing that Impa was long-since used to dealing with men who spent many hours in the field doing grunt work. Otherwise, the smell would have been rather unpleasant. Now, the Sheikah warrior just ignored it.

"How did your last foray go, Ishaka?" Impa asked. The Ravager captain chuckled.

"'Twas an easy thin', Sheikah. Th' forest is alive, it is. Th' trees 'elped us fin' an' kill them Bokoblins an' Bulblins nice an' quick." He said.

"That is good to hear. Do you think that the number of enemies is negligible at this point?" She asked. Ishaka nodded.

"Oh, no doubt. They be scatt'r'd at this point." He said. Once again, he had taken out his pipe, as a sort of reward for the hard work he'd put into the day. Impa smiled.

"You need not push yourself so much, Ishaka. I hear reports from some of my captains that you insist on being one of the first men in the expeditionary patrols, and one of the last to go to bed. I cannot fathom the amount of sleep you are getting. It cannot be much." She said. Ishaka shrugged.

"Sleep be fer th' weak, Sheikah. T'ain't like I got nothin' better ta do, anyway."

"Be that as it may, be careful, Ishaka." Impa said. "I would hate to lose a _Wulfrah* _such as yourself, due to sudden onset narcolepsy." She said. Ishaka smirked.

"I don' know what tha' means, Sheikah, but I guess'n it be a good thin'." He said. He glanced at the camp in front of them. "Time ta 'ead back ta 'yrule, then?"

"Yes." Impa agreed. "By first light we will begin marching back towards the castle, and begin preparations for our next move."

"Which be?"

"An assault on the Valley of the Seers." Impa said.

Impa's mouth went limp, and the pipe fell out of his lips in shock.

"Yeh be jokin'."

"I am not." Impa said. "And since when did you start expressing reservation about an upcoming battle? Are you not usually the one that leads our forces?" She asked. Ishaka reached down and picked up his pipe.

"That be diff'rent, Sheikah." He said. "Th' Valley o' th' Seers? That be a place a' deep an' pow'rful magic. Yeh ain't gonna be dealin' with lightweigh's in there, tha' be fer sure."

"And you feel that having dealt with a King Dodongo and…whatever the Goddesses that spider-like creature was…_are _lightweights."

"In a manner a' speakin', yeah." Ishaka overturned his pipe, and put in a brand new clump of snuff. He lit it with a match, let it simmer for a few moments, before taking a puff and starting again. "Jes'…be careful abou' tha', Sheikah."

"I know what I am doing." Impa said. "That is why I am returning to the castle to consult with our acting ruler, Lord Elijah Grantham. But for now…" She placed a hand on Ishaka's shoulder. "I need your help."

"Oh?" Ishaka asked. "An' wha' fer?"

"It goes like this…" Impa began.

…

She had checked and double-checked everyone in the camp. The Hyrulians, the Gorons, and even these wonderfully rough-and-tumble folk that called themselves Ravagers. Everyone who had asked for her, she had helped. Usually with a smile and a wink. That was just sort of how she handled things. There was no better feeling than to feel the warmth of healing light leave your fingertips, and then watch as the person you were working wih literally recover in front of you. Sometimes, it was as small as getting their breathing to stabilize, or watching the skin of a deep gash knit itself back together. She found it amazing, but nothing was better than watching her patient's stunned expression as his or her wound healed.

She licked her index finger for friction, and turned the page of her spellbook. It was getting late. She might need to cast a spell of self-healing at this point. She'd been going a long time now, on little sleep and plenty of adrenaline, and now that she felt some degree of safety perhaps it was time for her to take care of her.

"'Scuse me, miss Lana."

Perhaps not.

She turned around, and flinched at first. It was getting dark, and even if he was her ally it was still rather intimidating to see Ishaka loom over her in the gloam. But she recovered quickly, and flashed that same perky grin of hers.

"Hello, mister Yeeshapa! What do you need?"

"It's…it's Ishaka, miss Lana."

"Isn't that what I said?" Lana asked, confusedly. She cocked her head to the side, and then realization hit her. She blushed, and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh Goddess, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" Ishaka chuckled. In this fading light, it was like watching a bear laugh.

"It be no tr'ble. It be a hard name ta spell an' say."

"Well, now that I have sufficiently embarrassed myself…" Lana grumbled. "How can I help you?" Ishaka gestured to his back, reaching his arm over his shoulder.

"Think I took a coupl'a scrapes in'a las' raid. Can yeh gimme a check-up?"

"Of course!" Lana said. She smiled. "Let's head over away from the rest of the camp. The torches by the edge of the camp are easier to work with, anyway."

Ishaka nodded, and followed her. It was a good thing that it was so dark out and no one was looking at him, because he was utterly failing to conceal his crafty grin.

…

"All right, where is it?" Lana asked. Ishaka was sitting down on the ground, his legs crossed in a butterfly position. Ishaka gestured to his back.

"I hafta take m'coat off, if'n yeh don' mind, miss Lana." He said. "Th' scrapes be under m'shirt."

"That's…that's ok." Lana said. Truthfully, she was a little bit worried about what on earth Ishaka looked like under that duster of his. She had never seen him without the thing, and she knew that he had taken more than a couple of glancing hits on his back.

He took off his duster, and then the light white shirt under it. Lana took a sharp intake of breath.

"Goddesses, Ishaka!"

His back was a veritable mosaic of calluses, scratches, lacerations, cuts and bruises. The cuts and scrapes looked relatively fresh, but the calluses were starting to fade. He had a very broad back, which only made his injuries seem even more numerous.

"T'ain't a pretty pict're, innit miss Lana?" Ishaka asked. By his tone, Lana knew he was smiling. She wasn't sure why.

"This has got to be incredibly painful, Ishaka! Why haven't you been treated sooner?" She asked.

"That's the same question I asked him." Impa said, stepping out of the shadows. Giving a small "eep!" of fright, Lana flinched and turned towards the Sheikah warrior. Impa raised her arms up slowly. "Relax, Lana. I did not mean to scare you."

"She only wanna talk ta ya." Ishaka said. Lana realized that she had been caught like a mouse in a trap between two cats. She pouted a little bit, and then lightly smacked Ishaka upside the head.

"That's not very nice keeping me pinned down, Ishaka." Lana grumbled. She started flipping through her spellbook for the best remedies for skin abrasions, and with a soft humming began to go to work.

"Now that I have gotten you away from the rest of the army, which I imagine is why you were initially so hesitant…" Impa began. "What can you tell us about this Cia? And why does she have such a vendetta against Hyrule?"

"Well…it's kind of a long story…" Lana began.

…

She was pacing the marbled floor now, trying not to feel too nervous. She had never been in a throne room before, and though she knew that she was in no danger the fact that she had to retell her story again made her rather uncomfortable. There was the lady masquerading as Princess Zelda, in case anyone were to barge in and ask questions. There was the kind gentleman who introduced himself as Lord Grantham, but please call me Elijah. There was Impa, leaning against the war map table. Ishaka was leaning against the wall, smoking something of indeterminate origin. Sheik was meditating in the corner. And there was Link…sitting on the ground, his eyes on Lana intently as she began her tale.

"Well…Cia and I…we go back." Lana said. "We're part of a very ancient tribe of sorcerers, an order whose original name I've long forgotten and whose numbers are very, very small." She sighed, tapping her fingers on the spine of her spellbook. "We live deep in the northern forests, far away from the prying eyes of mortals or non-magicians. Our powers can be…scary to those that don't understand, and our order is very much about keeping balance in the world."

"Cia and I grew up under the tutelage of a great and wise wizard. He had been around for ages, and it seemed like he'd been around for forever even when Cia and I were young and barely learning the basics of magic." Lana smiled at the memory. "He was a kind-hearted man, and knew that of all the sorcerers in our clan, Cia and I were destined for greatness. Especially Cia. Something about her, he knew was a great and mighty power. He'd always be watching her performing spells, with that big owl perched on his shoulder, and he was beaming the way a father would for his child. He had no family, and Cia and I were orphans, so I suppose that we became like daughters to him. And Cia was most certainly his favorite."

"Did that bother you?" Lord Grantham asked. Lana shook her head.

"No, no it really didn't. Mostly because he was so nice to me anyway, and I was a realist. I knew that Cia was better than me. She was faster at learning magic, and she could always cast a spell with more power than I could. But she was kind to me as well, and never let me feel like I was never going to amount to anything." She sighed. "As time went on, and we grew older, we started to notice that the old sorcerer was starting to slow down. His shoulders started to hunch over a little bit, his beard whitened, and his face began to wrinkle. I knew that the time was coming for him to pass his role and ascend to…that place beyond. I knew, and Cia knew…but I could tell that she was taking it harder than I was."

"Eventually, he brought us both into this inner sanctum in the forest, far beyond where we had ever gone before. There was…this beautiful crystal ball resting on a pedestal in the center of the clearing, and above it…was the most glorious thing that I have ever seen. The Triforce. I can't even put it in words, it was so pretty. And in that clearing, he named Cia the guardian of the Triforce. She looked so proud, and I couldn't help but feel nothing but joy for her."

Lana looked like she was about to cry.

"I was assigned to watch the scrolls of history, and make sure that the records were kept. And Cia was the one that going to watch the passage of time, and everything that might or might not occur would happen with her watching. And for some time, she had the mentorship of the old wizard by her side…until one day we woke up and realized that he was gone. He had ascended." Lana sniffled. "It was so sad, but I knew it was his time. But Cia…I don't think that she got over it. She mourned him for a while. Longer than I think she should have. And then one day, she summoned me, telling me that she had found this most interesting soul in the passage of time. A soul that kept repeating over and over, and was so incredible and brave and unique."

"Who was this soul?" Lord Grantham asked. Lana, despite herself, chuckled.

"That's easy. He's sitting over there."

As if on cue, everyone turned and looked at Link. Only Ishaka and Impa, the two that Lana had told before, acted as if they had heard this before. Link felt a horrible weight in his chest.

"L-link?" Proxi asked, popping out of his head. "But…he's not that old!"

"Not _Link _Link, no." Lana said. "But he has the soul of the Hero. And that same soul kept reincarnating over the ages. For some time, we watched his exploits through the ages and the times, and it was some degree of entertainment. And it was wonderful to see Cia smiling again. We'd both cheer and celebrate every time that the Hero overcame the forces of darkness. Even if we knew it was a foregone conclusion, it was still wonderful to feel as though everything was back to normal. But…then I realized that she was…fixating on him. She wouldn't stop talking about him. She wondered if he had ever visited the Forest of the Triforce before. Or, would he want to visit if he was made aware of its existence. I…I could tell that in her excitement and fascination, she'd overlooked a minor detail: The Hero is destined to be with another soul, and not Cia." Lana looked exceptionally depressed with this statement. Ishaka tilted his head to the side, but didn't say anything.

"Did you tell her this?" Lord Grantham asked. Lana nodded.

"She…didn't take it well." Lana said. "She…she accused me of wanting him for myself, and thought that I was being selfish. She…she was different. I noticed there was something about her that seemed…off. As if her attitude had completely changed overnight." Lana blinked several times in rapid succession. "I mean, before then she'd never said she hoped that I died cold and alone before."

There was a pause. Marin, in a moment of human decency, dropped all pretenses of being the princess and gave Lana a hug. Lana sniffled once, and then continued as soon as Marin let her go.

"We fought. I'd never seen her so angry. So…rage-filled. It was like she was possessed by something beyond anything I'd ever seen. Nothing that we'd been taught before, that's for sure. It…it came to blows. I was fighting to defend and calm her down…she was fighting to kill me." She sighed. "I escaped. Just ran into the woods. Later that night, there were creatures of darkness that started chasing me. The darkness had never been allowed into the forests or the Valley of the Seers before." She said. "Almost overnight, I could feel the Valley changing. It warped from a peaceful and quiet place into a dark and foreboding place, just like Cia's heart I guess. I knew I was not safe there, so I fled. But still she sent the forces of darkness after me. They chased me all the way into the depths of the Faron Woods, where by the grace of the Goddesses I happened upon a patrol of Hyrulian troops. They defended me from chasing Bokoblins, and swore to defend me for as long as I needed it. From there, I started building a little rebellion. I knew deep down in my heart that it would not be enough, but I hoped. This went on for months…and then, you all arrived."

There was a moment's pause. It went on for an eternity.

"Cia is doing this for Link." Lana finally said. "I know you have no idea, Link, but you are the one that she is doing this for. She wants to take over Hyrule…I guess to impress you? And she wants to remove the Princess from the equation, so that you see that she is the only one you deserve to belong with. I don't know why she's doing this, or what caused her to change so dramatically…but that is the truth." She finished her tale. "I don't know where the princess is, but we have to stop Cia. Whatever it takes, she needs to be stopped."

"I firmly agree." Lord Grantham said. "I never thought that I would live out the worst nightmare of that ancient phrase that hell hath no fury." He turned to Impa and Ishaka. "Can you raise the army of Hyrule in three days?" He asked.

"Absolutely." Impa said. Lord Grantham nodded.

"Good. This is something that can wait no longer. I may not be the one leading the army, but I recognize as much as anyone that this is a threat that we cannot allow to fester at our doorstep. Cia must be stopped." He said. Impa smirked.

"Careful, Elijah. You're starting to sound like a military commander." The Lord Treasurer rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes the rationale for business and economic decisions in the long run can coincide with military planning." He said. "I would rather take the risk in going after Cia and taking her out before she finds the Princess, rather than sit and continue looking for the princess when suddenly Cia parades into our town square with her head on a pike."

"That be awf'lly dark, boss." Ishaka said. Lord Grantham threw up his hands.

"I cannot rule anything out at this rate! Lana has established that Cia is someone who clearly is not listening to reason, and, call me a crazy person, but I'm going to believe the lady in front of me that has absolutely zero incentive to tell me a lie." He said. He cleared his throat. "We'd better start preparing. It might take some time for the call to arms to reach the outer reaches of the kingdom."

"Just…be careful with her." Lana said. "Cia has done some terrible things…but I do still care about her."

"I thank you for your honesty, madam." Lord Grantham said. "But you and I both know that if we are being honest, then I have to say: I can make no such promises." He added sadly.

…

She was angry. She'd been gazing into her crystal ball, taking the opportunity to enjoy a look into the depths of Faron Woods for the first time in ages, and things had gone exactly the way she did _not _want them to go. Furthermore, her top lieutenants had decided to wait an entire day before informing her of these issues. Someone was going to pay for that.

"Mistress Cia, you summoned?" Wizzro rasped, materializing out of thin air. There was a clattering of footsteps on the limestone floor, and Volga entered the Sorcerer's Chamber as well.

"Have you received your report from the commanding officers of the Faron Woods excursion that still live?" Cia asked. She had her back to them. Volga spoke.

"Yes. I have taken their testimony."

"You have?" Cia asked. "Volga, dear, could you tell me what _exactly _my orders to them were?"

"You ordered them to chase the white witch into the depths of the forest if necessary, so long as she was dead and then to bring her body here for you to see."

"Then how DARE-" Cia was suddenly surrounded by a dark and flaming aura. "-They return EMPTY-HANDED?" She whirled around to face Wizzro and Volga. The wizard recoiled in terror. Volga did not flinch. Her eyes were glowing crimson coals, the magic radiating off of her like lightning bolts. "I gave them _such _a _simple _task, and this is how they repay me?"

"I do agree, mistress Cia." Wizzro offered. "They did not live up to expectations."

SMACK.

Cia's backhand hit the bulbous wizard so hard that for a brief moment Volga pitied the poor beast. As it lay on the ground coughing in pain, Cia stepped forward and placed a stilleto'd heel on its chest.

"'Did not live up to expectations?'" Cia asked. She was near hysterics. "You _summoned _them! You _commanded _them! What is the _point _of commanding an army you _know _is inferior!" She grasped Wizzro by the scruff of its robes, and hoisted it up so that they met eye to eye. "You will summon more monsters. And they will be the kind that would make the sturdiest of warriors _cry in terror _at the mere sight of them."

Wizzro nodded fearfully, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Cia turned towards Volga.

"What did you learn, my dear Volga?" Cia asked. Her mood swing was dizzying. The Dragon Knight did not notice or care.

"They said that the white sorceress was aided by allies. That fairy-boy you talk of so much was among them."

"Mmm…I'll bet he was, that brave little boy…" Cia said. She looked a little bit dreamy. "And what did they say about him?"

"They said that he was at the forefront of the attack." Volga said. His slightly annoyed tone with his master's obsession was lost on her. "They said that, though his alleis were mighty, he was in a class of his own."

"Ooooh…oh, of course my dear Link was! He truly is special, Volga. How could they have expected anything different from my beloved little darling?" She turned to look at him, her dreamy expression giving way to disinterest. "I have no use for lieutenants that fail me. Kill them."

"Mistress Cia, they are good lieutenants." Volga said. "No one could have suspected that those _dweloki_* would come to her aid, much less summon a Great Fairy. To dispatch of them would leave us with a shortage of good subordinat-" He was cut off by the sight of his master's eyes beginning to burn red.

"Am I going mad?" She asked. "Or are _you _giving _me _orders?" She hissed. "Your job is to kill anything that I tell you to, do you understand me?"

"…Transparently, mistress Cia." He muttered. Cia giggled, and then walked up close to him. There were barely a few inches between them.

"There, there…my little Dragon boy." Cia purred, running her finger up and down his chestplate. "I know that it must make you so worked up and…frustrated that you're losing those incompetent guttersnipes. But don't fret, baby…I have something planned that will give you the greatest commanders under your heel that you could ever ask for. And you'll never have to worry your poor little head about these worthless pieces of rubbish you are charged with training."

Volga remained ramrod straight, as if unaware of how his master was behaving around him, or simply uninterested. He spoke in a bored monotone.

"How do you plan to do this, mistress Cia?" He asked. Cia giggled like a schoolgirl. With one of her fingers, she was playing with the tips of her hair, curling it around her nail.

"Ooh, sugar, I thought you'd never ask! It's simple…instead of going out and finding my darling Link…"

She leaned in close, and whispered breathlessly into Volga's ear.

"_…We'll let him come to us."_

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

"**White" Sorcery and "Black" Sorcery – **_There are two generally accepted types of magic in the world: that of "white" magic and that of "black" magic. Traditionally, "white" magic is that of the "light" and therefore the magic of healing. The emphasis is on defense and counterattacking if necessary, as well as healing those that need help. It is said that the user draws from their heart in order to power their magic. "Black" magic is much more tricky, and therefore dangerous. Instead of something concrete like the heart, "black" magic relies solely on the intangible __desires__ of the user. Mystics and biologists alike are unsure of where that specific power source comes from, though there is a new and emerging school of thinking that believes that it comes from the more primal "fight or flight" instinct that all beings possess. As such, it is focused on offense. Attack, attack, attack. Because of this dangerous mentality, "black" magic is never taught by mages of the light, and is only found in the use of those who have lost their way to the darkness._

"**Wulfrah" – **_An old Sheikah phrase, usually towards a warrior of great tracking ability. It is a very honorable thing to be called such by a Sheikah, especially if one is an outsider._

"**Dweloki" - **_Dragon-speak for "weaklings." _


	10. Act I: The Storm

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "_like this",_ while a crowd singing is demarked "_**like this."**_

The preparation for the coming storm was long, and fraught with anxiety. For the majority of time, they were kept waiting in Castle Town, wasting time training while they waited for the return of Ishaka's scouts. Ishaka had only trusted a paltry few of his absolute swiftest men to try to scout the location of the Valley of the Seers, and even then instructed them to only get as close as was safely possible. Even with these instructions, it was clear and present that Ishaka was immensely worried for the health of his men and women he'd sent to the unknown. Nights would pass, and long after the rest of the kingdom was asleep he would be sitting on the balcony of the princess' chambers, pipe in hand and staring out into the abyss.

It was during one of these nights, as he lay deep within his thoughts and the fumes of his pipe that he became aware of another presence on the balcony. He turned his shoulders slightly towards the source of the noise, but not enough to actually look at his companion in the eye. His voice was gruff.

"Ain't it pas' yer bedtime?" He asked. From the shadows, Lana emerged. She was carrying her spellbook in hand, and had a worried expression on her face.

"Impa told me to come check on you." She said. "She said that you haven't slept much more than a few hours a day, and it's been a week since you sent out the scouts." Ishaka snorted.

"Sheikah needn't both'r. I be jes' fine."

"Somehow I doubt that." Lana said. She paused. "You know, she worries about you a great deal. So do all of us. You're taking this awfully hard. You don't need to prove yourself to Hyrule, or whatever it is that's causing you to be so devoted to stopping Cia. It's, well, it's unhealthy to be acting like this."

There was another long pause. Ishaka took a drag from his pipe. Then he spoke.

"'ow close were yeh?" He asked.

"Who, Cia and I?" Lana asked.

"Tha's righ'."

"Well, she was like a sister to me." Lana said. "A big sister. Someone that I looked up to. It breaks my heart that she's taken this path. It just…" She sighed. "I feel so helpless, like this is all my fault." Ishaka listened to her silently.

"D'ya think she can be saved?" He asked. Lana shrugged.

"I want to believe so, yes. In fact, I think that she's just fallen astray from her path."

"Yeh thin' so?" Ishaka asked. He turned to face Lana. "Yeh think she be jes' a misund'rstood bird, is tha' wha' yeh think?"

"Well, I want to believe that, but at the end of the day I don't know what goes on in her head anymore than I-"

"Tha's right. Yeh don't know." It was near pitch-black out now, and the soft glow from his pipe was the only thing illuminating Ishaka's face. Lana nearly took a step back in fright. The pained rage was clear in his barely visible eyes. "Lemme ask yeh som'thin': 'ow long ago did yeh run fr'm Cia?"

"I…I think about a month or so ago?" Lana said, after a moment's thought. Ishaka sighed, like an adult dealing with a clueless child.

"Tha' th' firs' time yeh saw 'er like this?" He asked. Lana nodded.

"Yes. I had no idea what she was doing up to that point."

"I'll tell yeh." Ishaka said. "Abou' three ta four months ago, I getta runaway fr'm one a th' villages my Ravagers were ta protec' fr'm some raiders. Was a littl' girl, 'bout ten ta 'leven years old. Clothes torn, hair a mess, wailin' an' cryin' like she's seen th' gates 'a Perdition. Took me 'bout an 'our or so ta get 'er ta calm down." He was starting to shake with fury. "She took me an' some 'a my men down ta 'er village. Jes' a mess, miss Lana. Nothin' left standin', and bodies strewn 'cross the way. She'd been 'idden un'er a rock durin' th' whole thin', and only came out aft'r a day or so. She ran ta th' only safe place she could thin' of: my camp, inna mount'ns bout'a half day's travel fr'm 'er village. She'd 'eard 'bout me, and figgered I was a friend. She…she was too afraid to look for 'er parent's bodies withou' a friend. All this time, babblin' 'bout Bulblins and Bokoblins praisin' a 'Lady 'o th' Rose.'" He watched Lana recoil. "Oh?" He asked. "Yeh know tha' person?"

Lana did not speak. All she could think of were those wonderful days deep in the garden of the Triforce, as their teacher showed her and Cia how to create life in nature. And how, though Lana's daisies were something to admire and be proud of, they paled in comparison to the first thing that Cia created.

A purple rose.

"Yeh may think she be savabl'." Ishaka said quietly. Throughout all of this pain and anger, his voice had not risen. "I c'n un'erstan' that. But I don't 'gree wit' it. I can't see 'ow a lady okay wit' killin' families inna mountains fer giggles is worth savin'. 'Ow a lady who made a littl' girl try ta steal my knife ta cut 'er throat when I told 'er I found 'er parents, only stopped when Brudduh Dembe 'eld 'er tight ta stop 'er, deserves mercy." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I ain't gonna give it ta 'er. She cross'd th' line firs', miss Lana."

"But would crossing the line after her make things much better?" Lana asked.

Ishaka was silent, because he had no certain answer.

…

The scouts returned the following morning. Of the five that Ishaka had dispatched, only three were still able to walk. Brudduh Denbe had taken it upon himself to carry one of the wounded, a young teenaged girl, miles and miles, and looked like he was going to pass out himself from exhaustion. The other injuried party was an average-looking Craol, who, judging by the splint on his forearm and wrist, had taken a nasty spill. They were led to the infirmary, to be treated for their injuries and the rather severe sunburn that they had all gotten in the days trekking across the Hyrulian fields.

Brudduh Denbe was so weakened from exhaustion and heat stroke that he was confined to a bed, and his voice was little more than a whisper. It must have been an interesting sight for the nurses to see a group of Hyrule's most important people gathered around the bedside of what they assumed was a regular rank-and-file member of the Ravagers, but that was where Lord Grantham, Link, Lana, Impa, Shiek, and even Marin-as-Zelda were that afternoon. Ishaka was sitting in a chair right next to his wounded companion. He was leaning in so close that his ear was barely an inch from Brudduh Denbe's mouth, allowing the weakened man to speak. One could hear a pin drop as he listened to his comrade's tired words.

A series of whispered words.

"They was safe an' 'idden fer a few days," Ishaka said. "They foun' where th' Valley is. Cover'd in monsters, th' likes o' which are truly mighty 'n pow'rful."

A pause. Denbe whispered something more.

"They went an' got caught by some creat'res. Ain't sure how. Think it might'a been th' Sorceress lady's magic. Got chased offa th' mount'ns. Tha's where broth'r Firenze broke 'is arm. Sistah Sera got 'it by a pois'ned arrow on th' way down. She didn't feel it 'till 'bout halfway 'cross th' Hyrulian Fields."

Denbe whispered again. This seemed more frantic. Ishaka looked both confused and stunned.

"Say that 'gain." He said.

He leaned in even closer, to the point that Denbe's lips were practically brushing against his ear. His face was a mask of worried concentration. The others waited with baited breath for his latest translation. Ishaka looked a little pale as he related the last bit.

"He says…there were a voice inna wind. Echo'd 'cross th' mount'ns. Loud an' like thund'r. Lady's voice. Sayin'…'Run 'long, littl' childr'n. Tell m'darlin' Link I be waitin' fer 'im.'"

As soon as Ishaka finished, he placed his hand on Brudduh Denbe's forehead, and shushed him as a means to let him know he could rest. The tired scout nodded, and was mercifully asleep in moments. While he was doing this, everyone turned and looked towards Link. Lord Grantham was the one to break the silence.

"She really does have something for you, doesn't she?" He said. He furrowed his brow in thought. "Is…is it even safe?"

"Is what safe?" Impa asked. Lord Grantham shrugged.

"Is it even safe bringing Link into battle?" Lord Grantham asked. "For all we know, Cia is playing us like a harp in order to get close to the object of her affections." He looked angry. "I'm not about to lose a good man as well as the princess."

"What option do we have?" Impa asked. "Simply leave Link here with the 'princess'?" She asked. Only those privy to the truth of Marin's identity could catch the slightly sarcastic tone she'd put on the word "princess." "I highly doubt that this is the right move. Link is a greater fighter than most of our soldiers."

"All o' them." Ishaka said. "'E's almost as good as me." He winked at Link. "No 'ffense, 'ero."

"Ishaka, could you take this a little bit more seriously?" Impa asked.

"I am!" Ishaka snapped back. "I jes' be tryin' ta keep th' boy calm! 'ow would yeh deal wit' th' thought that all this is a'happ'nin' cuz a' some crazy lady's stalkin', an' it's cuz a you?" He asked.

"He has a point." Sheik offered. Impa sighed in exasperation.

"All you're going to do is make him afraid!" Lana said.

"I'm not afraid."

Everyone turned and looked in shock. Even Proxi, who had materialized in order to help her friend, had nearly fallen out of the air in shock. Link's voice wasn't the voice of a worried and scared little kid. It was a confident voice, the kind befitting a hero. He looked at everyone, took in the fact that this was the first time that any of them had heard him speak (especially Sheik, who was gazing at him in total wonder), and spoke again.

"I'm not afraid of her." Link said. "I mean, I'm upset because I feel like all of this is my fault and there was no way I could control that, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid. It means I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to do what's right."

There was a pause to let this sink in. Ishaka broke the silence.

"Hee hee hee!" He said. "Spok'n like a true 'ero ther', kid! That be a man I be willin' ta foll'w through battl'."

Link offered a thin smile, but truthfully he wasn't sure that smiling was the right thing to do.

…

"Are we in agreement?"

Lord Grantham stared at the others across from him. They were all gathered around the table that held the map of Hyrule, the game of war played out in front of them. The general area of the Valley of Seers had been circled by a red ink quill, and everyone was staring at that blank space on the map as if it was the most important location in the world. And considering the stakes of things that were involved, it might as well have been.

"I see no reason to disagree." Impa said. Marin, still dressed as Princess Zelda, was confused.

"Wait, I need to understand just what we're doing. You're just rushing into the Valley of the Seers, without a specific plan?"

"It's more complicated than_ that_, Marin." Impa said. "We march in, yes, but at that point we split our armies. The Hyrulian army stays low on the ground, while the Ravagers take to the mountains so that we may have some semblance of cover. It's better to have a pronged attack than to just rush in. Cia is expecting us either way, so it would be wise to have something difficult to work with should she be anticipating our moves."

"It is the best we can do, I suppose." Sheik said quietly. "I for one have no objection."

"That's good." Impa said, her eyes narrowing. "Because last I checked you were not one of the commanders of our army."

"Easy, Impa." Lord Grantham said. "Let's be civil here. Sheik hasn't done anything to suggest to me that he is anything but on the straight and narrow."

Impa stared at the mysterious masked Sheikah warrior in front of her, before sighing and nodding. Ishaka smirked.

"Well then. What we be waitin' f'r?"

Lord Grantham shrugged.

"My approval, I suppose. Marin might be playing the Princess, but in reality I'm the one that is in charge here." He paused. A mighty sigh. "I never expected it to be like this. I don't know how Zelda was able and is able to handle the pressure."

"For what it is worth, I think that you seem to be doing an admirable job." Sheik said. Impa glanced at him, and then nodded.

"I agree with Sheik here. You would make Zelda proud." She said. Grantham chuckled.

"You all are just feeding my ego at this point." He cleared his throat. "Still, orders are orders. I hereby order, as standing and acting commander in chief of Hyrule's army and acting regent of Hyrule, that you all take our strongest forces into the Valley of the Seers and put an end to Cia and her uprising. By any means necessary."

No one noticed the saddened expression on Lana's face except Ishaka.

…

The march was long and tense. Like before, the Ravagers were utilizing their disorienting style of march to cover the more traditional march of the Hyrulian forces. Impa, from the safety of her horse, couldn't help but smile. She was growing used to this sort of thing, even though it had only been a short time that she'd been working with the Ravager nation. It was like having a protective blanket in the cold, these men and women that were progressing forward yet still safety encircling the bulk of her forces. Ishaka was riding next to her, though she could tell that he much preferred walking on the ground with his forces. A man after her own heart.

There was a groaning sound. Impa glanced behind her to see Proxi was floating around Link's head, and very frantically at that.

"I'm so bored!" The little fairy cried. Link frowned, and waved at her in an effort to get her to shut up, but the fairy deftly ducked his swinging hand. "Isn't there a way to help pass the time?" She asked. Impa was about to tell Proxi that there was nothing that they could do and that it was best that the little fairy suck it up, when she heared that little "hee hee hee!" of Ishaka.

"'Ey boys!" He shouted. His voice carried surprisingly well across the Hyrulian plains. "Lit'le miss fairy 'ere wanna know if'n we gots a way ta pass th' time while marchin'?"

"_**OOH RAH!**_" The Ravagers all chanted in unison. Ishaka smiled a little bit.

"Whatcha say? We g'nna give 'er a good 'un?"

"_**OOH RAH!**_" The Ravagers all barked in unison.

A humming began to carry throughout the air. It grew louder and louder as more Ravagers caught on and followed through.

_**Zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zumm…**_

_**Zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zumm…**_

The voice of a young male Ravager cut through the air.

_He was just a little greenhorn and he surely shook with friiight_

_He stood atop th' mountains and made sure his gear was tiiight_

_He had to stand and listen to the wind's awfully howling roar_

_**You ain't gonna fight no more!**_

Every Ravager jumped in on that last line, startling the Hyrulians caught in a momentary reverie for the soloist voice. Impa, Sheik, Lana, Link and the rest of the Hyrulian forces listened in wonder as the whole field was lit up with the singing of men and women.

_**Gorrrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!**_

_**You ain't gonna fight no moooooore!**_

Another round of humming. The next voice came from the other side of the ranks.

'_Is everybody ready?' good ol' Brother Ishaka cried._

_Our hero bravely answered 'yes' although he knew he'd liiied._

_And as they leapt from off the rocks he heard that awful roar-_

_**You ain't gonna fight no mooooore!**_

Impa smiled as she heard some of her own forces start to hum along. And despite herself, she heard her own voice (tentatively) joining in on the chorus.

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**You ain't gonna fight no more!**_

Another round of humming. This time, Ishaka jumped in.

_He tripp'd upon a lit'l rock he 'and't seen b'fore_

_Those who saw 'im tumbl' down all knew he'd die fer sure_

_An' all they thought 'bout 'im as they star'd at all th' gore_

_**You ain't gonna fight no mooooore!**_

By now, every soul marching through the plains joined in on the chorus.

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!**_

_**You ain't gonna fight no mooooorrrre!**_

And so it went, throughout the day. Creatures of nature and passerby stopped in wonder and confusion as they listened to this massive force singing about a foolish young man's death, and wondered just what had gotten into the mighty army of Hyrule.

…

It was midday when they arrived in the Valley of the Seers. It was clear as day that they had arrived, for the entire landscape dramatically changed. The grassy fields of the Hyrulian Plains gave way to barren and cracked rock, and trees and gently sloping hills were replaced with craggy and threatening rock formations and haunting ravines. It was almost like stepping into another dimension.

Amongst the army that had fallen rather silent, Sheik quietly offered his opinion.

"There is a great evil in the air. This is the place."

"Indeed." Impa said. She turned to Ishaka. "Take your Ravagers and begin climbing into the mountains." She pointed to the only entrance into the Valley: a narrow ravine that was closely protected by two craggy mountain ranges. The ravine itself was so narrow that the Hyrulian army couldn't go any more than four men at a time, turning their mighty ranks into a sickly-looking thin line.

Link had maneuvered himself to the front of the pack, alongside Impa, Sheik and Lana. Ishaka had long since disappeared, he and his Ravagers melting into the rocky overpasses like stones. It was eerie.

"I do not like this place." Captain Weylan muttered. Lana sighed.

"It was much prettier here, once." She said. "The land reflects the heart of the one that rules it." She looked mournfully at the dead rock. "Cia has twisted this place into something most terribly unlike what it used to be."

"Pass it down the line." Impa said. "Stay on guard." She could see that they were reaching the end of the ravine, and that the entirety of the valley was going to spill out before them. She wanted her troops to be prepared. There was an awful feeling in the pit of her chest, something telling her that things were not as they seemed.

They reached the end of the ravine, and true enough, it was clear that they had entered the Valley of the Seers. It was a massive land, and the rocky exterior was morbid and threatening. They were not welcome there, and it seemed as though nature itself was letting them know this. Impa gazed ahead into the distance. Though there was a large hill in the center of the Valley that seemed natural in design, there were structures atop it that were not possible within the natural course of geology. Something had built though gate-like structures.

"That's the place." Lana said. "That's where we will find Cia."

"General Impa!" One of the Hyrulian Captains cried. "A storm approaches!"

Impa looked to the sky. Seemingly originating from that spire in the center of the forsaken hill, storm clouds of a sort were emerging. It was clear to the Sheikah that Cia, the dark Sorceress, created them. Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard a fell voice in the air. A woman's voice, sing-chanting in an ancient and foul language. The skies darkened, and magic clouds blotted out the sun. Impa could see the enemy approaching.

"Formations!" Impa barked. "Shield wall!*"

The Hyrulian army, in understandably swift terms, raced out and began to form into their standard siege defense. Soon, Impa felt herself more comfortable with the status of her army. They were defending the only entrance (or in the forces of darkness' case, the only exit) to the valley, and now each Hyrulian soldier had a man to his flank and two to his sides. But her confidence began to wane when she saw the force that was approaching them.

A massive army was approaching, comprised of Moblins, Bokoblins, Bulblins, and even several Lizalfos. They outnumbered the Hyrulian forces, and by the nonchalant pace with which they advanced, it was clear that they believed they had the advantage.

The forces of darkness stopped about a stone's throw away from the Hyrulian army. They were howling creatures of most foul nature, and resorted to stomping their spears and shields into the ground and shrieking in an effort to get the Hyrulian army's resolve to break. That would make things easy. But Impa had trained her soldiers well. They dug their heels into the ground, and raised their shields as a single unit in defiance.

Then a voice carried through the wind. It was a woman's voice. Mysterious, enchanting, and utterly terrifying at the same time.

"_Ooh, has the hero come to see me at last?_"…"_Well then, Link, don't keep me waiting…"_

Impa heard a grunt, and saw Link had unsheated his sword and was gripping the blade so tightly that his knuckles were white as snow. He was not appreciative of this witch's fascination with him.

The leader of this army was a bulbous Moblin, who lumbered to the front of the ranks.

"Hyroolins!" He said in his mangled speech. "Lay don yer weapons, or be slaught'red like PIGS!" He was staring Impa directly in the eye, having singled her out as the leader of this army, and the two engaged in a silent stare. Though the Moblin's stare was fueled with a genocidal hatred for humans, Impa's stare was that of a refined warrior, unperturbed by petty threats. Neither budged an inch.

It was getting dark. Impa got a nagging feeling that there was something behind her, and then noticed that the Moblin commander was no longer looking at her but at the mountainside behind her army. The Sheikah warrior turned around.

…

It started as a couple of pinpricks of light, scattered across the rocky façade. Torches, carried by Ravager soldiers. Yet almost like wildfire, the number of pinpricks spread. Two became a dozen. A dozen became two dozen. And so forth. Soon, it seemed like the entire mountainside was alit with scores of torches. Impa's sharp eyes, through years of training, could see that it was an illusion: each Ravager was standing with his or her arms outstretched in a T-shape, holding a torch in each hand to create the impression that the army was far greater than it actually was. But illusion or not, it was a powerful and mighty sight. And it filled her with a surging confidence.

She looked back towards the Moblin commander. He was staring at her again, though the confidence in his eyes was long gone. In its place was uncertainty.

Fear.

He blinked. And took a step back.

"No." Impa quietly whispered to herself. She drew her Biggoron Knife, slowly and with purpose. "There _is _no escape."

Then, as if on cue, hundreds of Ravager soldiers let loose a blood-curdling scream.

"FORWARD!" Impa roared.

…

The Hyrulian forces surged like water from a burst dam, and caught the forces of darkness on their heels. There was a horrific cacophony of screams, shields splintering, swords and spears hacking and stabbing and clanging, and the sounds of death resonating through the air. Impa could see that, along with the Ravager sleight of hand, she had managed to break off the enemy advance. Now, there was some breathing room to put together a plan of attack.

"Cia is at the top of the ruins," Lana said. She had broken away from the advance and had regrouped with Impa. Alongside them emerged Link and Sheik. They turned to the Sheikah general for advice. Impa was ready for it.

"The Valley splits into two major pathways: to the east and the west." She said. Using her Biggoron Knife as a pointer, she gestured to the west. "Lana, take Link and half of the forces and go that way. Sheik and I will attack from the east."

"What about Yeeshasa-I mean, Ishaka?" Lana asked. Impa looked around, and shrugged.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll make an appearance when he needs to." Impa said. "For now, focus on your goals. Move!"

Link and Lana sprinted forwards, with the white sorceress whistling commands. Link was more interested in leading the charge than he was in actually planning the tactics, and judging by the way he was launching himself into the fray it was smart to have a more cerebral partner in Lana to back him up. Impa and Sheik looked at each other, shared a silent nod, and headed for the eastern keep.

…

Link let out a roar, and with a windmill motion slashed through a defending group of Bokoblins. They fell to the ground in various frozen poses of death, and the Hero took this opening as a chance to push forward. He raced up the pathway towards the western keep, a shoddy-looking building held together by flimsy wood, old stone, and what appeared to be bone of an indeterminate source. He was the first one of the Hyrulian forces into the breach, and with a cry engaged the nearest beast he could see.

"Link, watch out!" He heard Proxi cry. He turned to his left to see an armored being lunging for him, coming at a speed most inhuman. Link instinctively braced himself for impact, but then watched in shock as the armored being was sent careening off to the side and into the walls of the keep, propelled by a bolt of white lightning. He looked to the source of the blast, and saw Lana standing there, flashing a "V" sign with her middle and index finger and a bubbly grin on her face. Link nodded resolutely, and returned to attacking anything that he saw. Lana followed after him, making sure to stay close to the Hero and his uncanny ability to slay any beast that crossed him.

One of the Hyrulian captains, a stout looking fellow, raced forward and tackled the keep boss. It was a rather pudgy, unimpressive Bulblin, and with one stab to the neck it was finished off quickly. The captain popped back up.

"The keep is ours!" He shouted. "Regroup before pressing forward!"

At that moment, several waves of Ravagers came sliding down the side of the mountainous hills to the right of the keep. They swiftly entered the fray, eliminating any stragglers in the keep, before one of them rushed forward.

"Brother Ishaka sends reinforcements." The calm Craol said. "We are at your command." He turned to Link. Link looked shocked that they were following him, but then got into action. He gestured to the Hyrulian captain and his men, and signaled for a holding position. To the Ravager, he signaled for an advance on his flank. "Understood." The Ravager captain said. Compared to the Hyrulian captain, he was dressed in muddy and poorly-kept rags. But the look in his eye coupled with the enemy blood dripping off of his knives was more than enough to show he meant business. He gave a sharp whistle, and the Ravagers behind him began reloading for the next assault. Link gestured to Lana, who nodded resolutely, and the company raced out of the keep and to the north where Cia waited.

…

From their overhang high above the battle, two beings watched the proceedings. Cia turned towards Volga, a sneaky smile on her lips.

"A fascinating view, is it not?" She asked. Volga frowned.

"We have the reserves to hold off an attack, but I do not see why you insist on holding them back." He said. He looked very annoyed, and was growing moreso by the second. "Why do you risk our position?" Cia giggled, and wrapped her arm around Volga's shoulders.

"Volga, my dear, don't you know there's more than one way to roast a Cuckoo? Just because these wretches seem to be advancing with ease doesn't mean that they are _winning._ In fact, so far everything is going as I would expect it to. And I still have _several _cards to play." She looked to the west, and smiled. "Oooh, my darling Link. Isn't he a most wonderful fighter? By the Goddesses, he is even more handsome in person, and _so close _I can practically taste him…" She licked her lip slowly, as if savoring a moment. Volga frowned.

"That whelp would not be so forward, I reckon, if I put my spear in his spine."

"You will do _no such thing._" Cia said. She hissed, and dug her fingernails in the minute opening in Volga's armor, right where the chainmail connected at the base of the neck and shoulder, so that she was feeling nothing but skin. She heard a small grunt of acknowledged pain, and smiled. "You will not lay a hand on my beloved, do you understand?"

"But Mistress Cia-"

"Besides, big boy…" Cia interrupted. She looked to the east. "I see a far more appealing target." They both watched as the taller Sheikah warrior broke from the main assault, and began to lead a small attachment of forces into a narrow ravine away from the beaten path.

"The Sheikah Warrior is a mighty foe. Substandard to me, but mighty to them." Volga said. Cia made a dismissive noise in the back of her throat.

"Mmm. I don't care how mighty she is. She's in my way." She turned to Volga, bringing her arm back to her side. "Kill the bitch. I don't care how."

Volga grinned. It was not a pleasant sight.

"With pleasure, Mistress Cia."

…

She had left Sheik to lead the advance, though truthfully she knew that the Sheikah warrior was going to be bogged down for the meantime unless some flanking route was discovered. Impa hated herself for abandoning the majority of her forces with some "Sheik" that she did not trust and whom she believed was a liar, but her fears were at least partially allayed by the presence of Ravager forces coming to reinforce the keep that they had captured. If Sheik tried anything, she knew that they would end it with ease.

For the Ravagers fought dirty. And there was a part in her that admired that tenacity.

Impa led a small band of Hyrulian forces through the ravine. There was only one way out of the ravine, and it looked like it came out at the same location that the rest of her army was headed to. Impa gave a series of hand signals, and ordered her men to follow her.

She needn't have wasted her time.

There was an inhuman roar, and then a burning red blur. Impa barely had time to react as her squad was killed in a terrifyingly swift fashion. The last of her men barely had time to scream before being engulfed in the fiery breath of that Dragon Warrior, who stood at the exit of the ravine, between Impa and freedom.

At the same time, Impa turned behind her to see vines of an unnatural color and projection growing across the way, completely cutting her way of entrance off. She was trapped.

"Pathetic." Volga growled. "These vermin were barely worth an exercise." He looked at the body of the last Hyrulian he'd slain, and dismissively kicked it off to the side. He looked back up at Impa, and smirked. "Well what do you know, little Sheikah. It would appear that you've nowhere to go."

Impa stared at Volga with an icy cold expression on her face. She was silent, and then a smile graced her lips.

"You're smiling. Are you feeling okay?" Volga asked, twirling his spear disorientingly as he slowly closed the gap between the two of them. Impa's training was far too advanced to allow her to be thrown by such a cheap battle tactic. So she let him know.

"Yes. For you don't understand. I'm not trapped in here with you. _You're trapped in here with me."_

She lunged for the Dragon Warrior, Biggoron Knife brandished.

…

"Hi-YAAH!" Link yelled, slicing through a Moblin's shield (and the arm that held it). As the creature roared in agony, he stabbed it in the chest to end its suffering. He looked around. They were advancing well on his side of the battlefield, but there was no sign of Impa's forces. Lana raced up alongside him, and noticed his look of concern.

"They must still be bogged down!" Lana said. She seemed to have read Link's mind. "We're too far ahead of them!"

"What should we do?" Proxi asked. "We can't leave them, yet at the same time we can't abandon our keep!"

"Hero!" One of the Ravager captains rushed forward. "We can bull-rush* the enemy in an effort to break things open!"

"You'll lose too many men," Lana said. "I can't in good conscious let you all do that."

"What would you propose we do?" The Ravager captain asked. "We can hold position, but that risks letting the other half of the force suffer severe casualties or even be overrun."

"What do we do?" Proxi wailed.

"Don't worry." Link said, surprising everyone with his sudden bout of speech. "Have faith in Sheik…and in Impa."

…

_Clang._

_ Clang-clink-CLANG._

_ WSHAK!_

They had been fighting for what seemed like an eternity, though Impa knew it had been nothing but a few moments. The Dragon Warrior Volga was a truly poised warrior, and had been defending himself from Impa's attacks with nothing more than a dismissive look on his face.

_Clang._

"You fight well," Volga said. He swept low, forcing Impa to jump up and land on one of the large rocks just off of the pathway and a little way up the hillside. It seemed to give slightly under her feet, which seemed strange. But she could not focus on that. "But you fight like all Sheikah." Volga chided. "And I have killed many Sheikah."

Impa scowled, and went for a cross-body slash.

_Clang._

"Agryppa*!" Volga shouted, deflecting the move.

Impa went for a pirouetting slash, attempting to disorient the Dragon Warrior while at the same time hoping to clip his leg at the same time.

Denied.

"San-Sotuka*!" Volga shouted.

Impa was getting frustrated, and tired. Volga seemed to have limitless energy. She went for a series of overhead strikes, intending to test the mettle of Volga's weapon.

The dragonborne spear held strong.

"Krea*!" Volga shouted. With dizzying speed, he lashed out and backhanded Impa into the canyon wall. She collided against the rock hard. She felt a severe pain in her shoulder, and knew that it had been dislocated. Her Biggoron Knife clattered uselessly to the ground. Volga smirked.

"You utilize the techniques of the great ones with flawless precision." He said. "But merely knowing the moves of legends does not make you one. It makes you predictable, for _everyone_ knows the legends!"

But Volga didn't know Impa.

When he was a mere few feet from the fallen Sheikah warrior, she suddenly spit at him. Impa, through meditation, had developed strong lungs. This allowed her to projectile spit at great speeds. The globule struck Volga right between the eyes, and directly in them as well. As Volga growled in disgust, Impa reached down to the dirt with her good arm, grabbed a handful, and threw it as hard as she could into Volga's eyes. The Dragon Warrior gave a roar of pain, and hastily began to wipe his clouded eyes clean.

Impa slowly stood up, watching her foe clean his eyes while in great pain. She gingerly felt her shoulder, gauging the damage. It was a clean dislocation. Good. She dug her foot into the dirt just underneath her Biggoron Knife, and as soon as she was ready she moved.

With a cry of rage, adrenaline, and extreme pain, Impa simultaneously kicked her Biggoron Knife up into the air whilst popping her shoulder back into place. She felt the joint slide in like a puzzle piece, and felt a sort of relief that the pain she now felt was merely tenderness.

That would heal.

Then, with catlike reflexes, she reached her good arm out and caught her Biggoron knife on the descent. She twirled it around, and ignored the smarting pain in her shoulder as Volga finally got the spit-enhanced dirt out of his eyes and stared at the now-rearmed Sheikah warrior in shock.

"Round two, freak." Impa said.

Growling, Volga regained his spear and held it at the ready, prepared to engage Impa again.

He never got the chance.

Impa watched in shock and awe as a large dark rock behind Volga, the very same one she had stood on earlier, seemingly came to life and lunged through the air at the Dragon Warrior. In midair, it grew arms, legs…and there was a very familiar scent about it.

Volga barely turned around in time to see what was coming.

"_**EULALIAAAAAA!**_"

Ishaka smashed into Volga like a cannonball, hitting the Dragon Warrior with a modified tackle-clothesline combination. Volga's spear was sent off to the side, and Ishaka's knives were knocked away as well. The Ravager captain was astride the Dragon Warrior, throwing several sloppy yet brutal lefts and rights from full mount. Volga was able to defend himself for the most part, but one of the punches connected and Impa swore she heard the telltale sound of a nose being broken.

Volga roared, and hoisted Ishaka off of him. The Ravager warrior hit the dirt with a grunt of pain. Volga tried running for his spear, but Ishaka was swifter, having gotten up and tackled Volga again. This was more of a running tackle, as he was not fully able to bring the Dragon warrior down. Instead, Ishaka grabbed Volga in a waistlock from behind, and with a roar lifted the Dragon warrior up into the air for a brutal belly-to-back suplex. It looked like Volga had landed directly on his head, and such a move would be fatal to a mere mortal.

Alas, Volga was no mere mortal.

As Ishaka lay stunned on the ground, a dazed Volga grasped his spear, which had been sent clattering near him by the shockwaves of the suplex. As soon as Volga's grip was tight around the handle, there was a flash of fire, and Impa watched as Volga disappeared into the distance as a dragon-like flame.

All this happened in the span of a few seconds.

Impa raced over to Ishaka.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Y-yeah, I be fine…" Ishaka groaned.

At this admission, Impa kicked Ishaka in the gut, sending the Ravager leader back down into the dirt.

"Oof!" Ishaka said. "Wha' wa' tha' fuh?" He wheezed.

"You _ass!_ I had him dead to rights, when you had to spring in and interrupt me! I did _not _need saving." Impa said. She helped Ishaka back up to his feet, chiding him the entire time. "On top of that, if you were really there the entire time, then why in the name of the Goddesses did you wait until _the very end _to reveal yourself?" Ishaka got up, and with a "hee hee hee!" he shrugged.

"Figgered yeh were doin' jes' fine up until th' very end, Sheikah! Tha's when I stepp'd in." He said.

That got him a slap right across the cheek.

…

They emerged from that dark corridor into the next opening in the valley. To their left, they saw the emerging Hyrulian army led by Link and Lana. Impa glanced to the right, and saw that Sheik had broken through the enemy defenses and was bringing the second half of the pincer movement forward. Impa watched with satisfaction as both halves of the army converged in the center of the plain, hammering Cia's forces like a hammer and anvil. They began to retreat, scrambling back up the steps of the ruins towards where their leader lay in wait. Impa was about to rush forward, but flexed her shoulder too much and groaned in pain.

"Hold still, Sheikah." Ishaka said. He harshly grabbed her by her other shoulder to prevent her from moving, and before Impa had time to react he'd taken a piece of cloth from the bottom of his duster and ripped it off. He hastily wrapped it around her wounded shoulder, and then around the base of her neck to create a makeshift bit of armor to keep the joint from overextending.

"What-are-you-" Impa tried to fight him off, but the Ravager captain was deceptively quick. Impa didn't like having a bulky bit of cloth impeding her entire range of motion, but it did dull the pain. And that was good enough, she supposed.

She glanced at Ishaka. The bottom of his duster, normally low enough to reach his ankles, was now closer to the middle of his calves. Impa looked at him and offered a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry about your coat." She said. Ishaka shrugged.

"S'alright. I jes' sew it up when we get back. Tha' lady Cia owes me some needl'n' mat'rials when we be done."

…

"Impa." Sheik said, as Impa and Ishaka ran to rejoin the group. "What happened to your shoulder?"

"Dislocated it." Impa said. "It's a little sore, but back in place."

"Goodness, that sounds painful!" Lana said. "I can heal the swelling and microtears if you need me to."

"Don't bother." Impa said. "Save your magic for people that are seriously wounded." She glanced at the ruins before them. "We won't be able to fit the majority of the army up on those narrow stairways. We'll have to bring the most armored soldiers up through for the siege, I'm afraid." She turned to Ishaka. "Have your Ravagers hold position at the base of these ruins. We'll take the Hyrulian ranks up the ruins, led by the Wolves." She turned towards the ruins. "Let's go pay Cia a visit."

…

Cia sat upon the throne, slouched in her seat and impatiently drumming her fingernails along the armrest. Volga appeared before her in a flash of red. He looked quite silly to begin with, in her mind, carrying on with that overly-macho persona. The sight of him with cotton stuffed up his clearly-broken nose was enough to get her to giggle.

"Mithtress Cia, your humor ith mothst foolith." Volga said. He seemed unwilling to acknowledge how stuffed he sounded. "Why do you not thend out reinforthments?"

"Because, sugar, they're still falling into my trap." Cia said. She gave a theatrical yawn. "I knew that they were going to split the army so that they could make their way up my ruins. I was sort of hoping that they'd leave the Hyrulians down at the bottom, but that's ok. I don't mind massacring a bunch of ragged vermin like those 'Ravagers.'" She frowned. "What a preposterously silly name. Who could name their people something so…childish?" She blinked once, and looked at Volga again. "My orders for you are to retreat and lick your wounds, big boy. I have much larger plans for you than to just deal with these little people knocking on my door." Volga nodded, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Cia sighed, and got off of her throne. She began walking towards the balcony-like viewing point at the edge of her staging ground, softly humming to herself.

"Time to do some weeding…" She muttered softly.

…

In a large battlefield, numbers could make the difference between one side losing and the other. But in close quarters, the more-disciplined army would win out. And there was no better-trained group of soldiers than the Twilight Wolves of the Hyrulian army.

They moved in a spear-like formation, with two at the point and four along each side of the "spear head." Their pitch black armor was like that of the Darknuts (in fact, they had been smelted from the armor of fallen Darknuts), and they each carried a massive bronzed shield. In lieu of a sword or spear, the Wolves preferred to smash their shield forward directly into the enemy in front of them. Upon contact, the shield made a disproportionately loug _GONG_ noise. It served both as a definitive proof that their foe was dead, and a psychological advantage against the trembling foes that were still left in front of them.

For once, Ishaka didn't feel the need to rush to the front of the fray. He was content to let those ten maniacs do the work for him.

And work they did, clearing the way on the increasingly narrow terraces cut out into the rock that formed the levels of the ruins. The Hyrulian army moved slowly, in a phalanx-like formation, and casualties were dropping to a standstill. Bokoblin archers were desperately firing volleys of arrows into the mix, but the Hyrulians simply raised their shields high, forming a roof like a tortoise shell.

Hidden deep inside the phalanx, Impa gently slid in between rows of soldiers, barking out orders and words of encouragement.

"Stand tall! Hold your shields as strong as you ever have! If you do, not one of you or your brothers will fall! We will make it to the top of the mountain at this rate! They cannot stop us."

Link was right at the front of the formation, alongside Ishaka, Lana and Sheik. Lana and Sheik were creating small barriers from magic, while Link was just holding his own shield up. Ishaka was grumbling something awful about having to hide behind the others.

"If you're so disappointed, you should have picked up a shield, Ishasha-Ishaka!" Lana corrected herself. Ishaka smirked.

"An' defil' me hands wit' them ugly-ass Mobl'n shields? As if, miss Lana!"

"Then pipe down!" Impa shouted, having reappeared next to him. "Or I'll use _you _as a shield."

"Now, now, Sheikah, tha' ain't nice, innit?" Ishaka said with a grin. "'Ardly neighb'rly a' ya."

"I'll show you neighborly, you _ordo…_" Impa said.

…

Capturing the keep in front of them was easy. The armies of darkness were so intimidated by the lack of casualties on the Hyrulian side that most of them chose to drop their weapons and flee in fright. Impa decapitated the brave (or perhaps foolish) keep boss that stayed behind to defend his post, and reassessed the situation.

She was about to bark an order, when she saw all of her army looking up and above her. Impa turned around. High above them, on an overhanging cliff at the top of the mountains, was a beautiful woman. Her face was obscured by a bird-like mask, but there was no doubt that she was absolutely stunning underneath. She was dark-skinned, with red and ornate tattoos glowing across her body. Her apparel was…revealing, and Impa knew that this was the one that they were looking for.

"Cia! We would have words with you." Impa said. She pointed her Biggoron knife in the direction of the black sorceress threateningly, and sensed Link, Lana, Sheik, and Ishaka rush forward to join her side. Cia, though far enough that it was difficult to really see her features, cocked her head to the side as if she was amused. Then her shoudlers started to shake, and the sound of her laughter filled the air. It was both a melodious and terrifying sound, and Impa felt the hair raise up on the back of her neck. Cia lifted her scepter, an ugly-looking thing that was made of twisted black wood and adorned with a dark purple jewel on the top (that looked strikingly like a purple rose), and slammed it bottom first into the ground. There was a little rumbling noise, and then nothing happened. Impa looked around, and in her confidence decided to taunt the sorceress.

"I don't suppose that was for us?" She said. Cia laughed again, and shook her head. Her smile was very visible from this distance, and slowly she pointed her scepter towards the base of the ruins.

She hadn't even finished the motion, and Ishaka was already sprinting down the cliff side.

…

They felt a rumbling under their feet. The most fortunate ones were the ones standing directly atop the epicenter, for when the ground opened beneath their feet at least their deaths came quickly. It was the ones that were just away from the breaking point of the ground who were unlucky, as the poisonous gases that emitted from the ground seared their lungs and left them to choke. By this point, the vast majority of the Ravagers had scrambled away from the collapsing earth, and were taking cover anywhere they could find it. For what had emerged was a monster.

It looked like a plant, with four angry teethed heads, all snapping and drooling at the prospect of fresh meat. They all separately lunged forward, snapping up screaming warriors to their doom. The plant seemed to be slowly moving, terrifying those that were closest into making a run for it. Of course, that just left one open to the hailfire of bullet seeds that could cut into even the hardiest of armor.

"Manhandla…" Impa whispered. They had been outfoxed. By the time Impa brought her forces down to help the Ravagers, too much time would be taken and their numbers would be terribly low. And Cia would bring forth reinforcements that would cut the Hyrulian army to pieces. But if they did nothing, then the Ravagers were doomed.

Which was why Impa was flabbergasted that Ishaka was barreling down the mountainside, alone, towards the beast with his knives brandished.

"Ishaka, NO!" Impa shouted, desperately trying to get his attention.

…

Ishaka didn't listen. Or, perhaps, he couldn't listen. For the real Ishaka was submerged within layers of testosterone, rage, paternal fear, and berserker fury.

He was practically leaping down the mountainside, taking it at seemingly ten feet a step. If he made even the slightest misstep, the resulting tumble and fall would surely kill him. But the Ravager captain was nimble and agile down the rock side, and in mere seconds he was at the floor of the canyon.

He heard the screams of his men and women. He watched as they all desperately tried to take cover. The older soldiers were pushing younger ones out of the way, in hopes of saving them. Some brave fools were trying to distract the beast, so that the rest of the army could escape. Except their actions were matched by the rest of the army, so the Manhandla was stuck in a sort of limbo, as if unsure of what to eat next.

Ishaka raced past a few coughing Ravagers, who had swallowed a non-lethal yet still excruciating level of Manhandla gas, and let out a horrific battle screech.

"_**EEEEEEEYOOOOWWWW!**_"

As if on cue, the Manhandla went rigid, and all four heads turned to face Ishaka. They had no eyes, but it was clear that they were smiling. There was a sound of laughter in the air. Cia was watching from high above, no doubt terribly entertained by the show.

"Pick on som'un' yer own size…" Ishaka said. He twirled his knives, clockwise in his left hand and counterclockwise in his right. The Manhandla decided that he looked tasty enough, and lunged.

…

Ishaka leapt up, and stomped on one of the heads. He blocked off the lunging snaps of the other three with his knives, and as the head he stood on precariously rose up he struggled to maintain his balance. Seeing an opportunity, he slid down the neck of the head until he'd reached the core of the Manhandla plant. He stood atop the covering where the heart of the creature lay, and stabbed at it. It did not cause any real pain, but the Manhandla heads instinctively lunged in for the biting kill.

Ishaka barely had time to roll out of the way as all four heads converged, though he was grazed by razor sharp teeth. He grunted in pain as it tore into his forearm, and he rolled into the dirt. He heard a pained shriek from the creature, and knew that it had done what he wanted. It had loosened up the wall covering the heart. He turned around to face the creature again, only to see one mouth lunging in for the kill.

At the last second, he thrust his arms up and down like scissor blades, piercing the insides of both the upper and lower jaw of the mouth. He recoiled as much as he could as the pointed tongue inside tried to lash out at him, and he felt a minute cut on his cheek. The head was thrashing as much as it could, but Ishaka's knives (along with his boots planted firmly on the bottom lip) were keeping it pinned tight. Ishaka winced at the smell of corpses on the creature's breath, and with a roar extended his arms even further. He felt the jaws hyperextend, and the other three heads came in for the kill.

Ishaka yanked his knives out and rolled backwards, right as the three heads snapped the fourth clean off of its stalk. A spray of purplish blood came out of the useless stalk and covered Ishaka. Ignoring it, he rushed again, holding his breath as he saw the Manhandla begin to emit that poisonous cloud.

Feeling his eyes beginning to burn, Ishaka leapt up and thrust his knives down as deep as he safely could into the throat of another head, and then pulled apart in a reverse-scissors motion that bisected the jaws of the head. Immediately, the poison stopped emitting, and the Manhandla shrieked in pain. The other two heads lashed at him, but he leapt out of the way. They crashed into plant wall covering its heart, and for the first time Ishaka could see a soft puling red glow out from within.

Two heads left. They reared back and began to spit bullet seeds at Ishaka. Some of them caught the flapping ends of his duster, ripping the thing to shreds. Growling, Ishaka shed his ruined coat. As it fell to the ground, his upper body was now exposed. He was wearing a ratty beige shirt with the sleeves completely cut off, revealing intricate tribal tattoos that covered his arms from the base of his shoulders all the way down to his wrists. Scores of scars and calluses adorned his arms, and his looked less like a man and more like an ogre. He rolled out of the way of another series of bullet seeds, and picked up the shield of a fallen Darknut. He held it up to protect him, feeling the seeds nip at his ankles and the edges of his shoulders. He dug his feet into the ground, absorbing the shots.

Finally, the bullet seeds ceased, and the panting mouths dangled in the open for a strike. Ishaka spun around like a discus toss, and hurled the shield at one of the mouths. It caught it right in the maw, and the head jerked before falling lifeless to the ground.

That left one head. Easy.

He raced forward, and stood directly atop the weakened plant wall that covered the glowing jewel. The head looked at him and screeched, trying to get the man at its base to cower. Ishaka held strong. The head lunged.

Ishaka leapt up, and stomped downward right as the head's teeth crashed into the core. With the added gravity of Ishaka's mass, the head bit through the wall and directly into the jeweled core. Ishaka roared, and slammed his dual knives down into the mess.

There was a horrific shriek, and the Manhandla spasmed violently before falling utterly still.

Ishaka stood atop the fallen corpse, panting heavily. He was covered in blood, both his and the slain beast's. He grunted, and yanked the knives out of the dead creature. He leaned back, stretching out his back. Then he slowly turned towards the ruins, facing Cia high in her perch. She looked down at the sight below her. It seemed like the entire world had gone silent.

Ishaka's eyes were wild, the crazed look of a berserker. His grin spread from one side of his face to the other. He raised one of his knives up into the air, and pointed it to Cia. And he let out a roar that echoed throughout the Valley.

"_I'M GONNA GUT YA LIKE YER PET!"_

The Ravagers saw their seemingly-indestructible leader standing over the slain monster, and let loose the loudest Ravager scream yet. It travelled up the ruins, and filled the Hyrulians with a renewed vigor. They matched the scream with a roar of their own, and pushed against the armies of darkness like a tidal wave. Impa raised her Biggoron knife, and led her close allies up to the peak of the ruins where Cia waited.

…

Compared to the frenetic fighting below them, the staging ground where Cia waited was eerily silent. She was alone, standing with her back to the heroes, holding her arms up towards a dark void of energy floating above them. It was growing larger and larger, and whatever it was reeked of dark magic and evil.

"Ooh, Link." Cia said. She slowly turned around, facing the heroes. "How I've longed for this moment." She started walking towards them, her hips deliberately sashaying with each step. "You're even more precious in person."

"It's over, Cia." Impa said. She brandished her Biggoron knife threateningly. "Surrender now, and you will be granted mercy at trial."

"Over?" Cia asked. She laughed. It was both a beautiful and awful sound at the same time. "Why…it hasn't even _begun._" She suddenly stamped her scepter on the ground, and before any of them could react a dark symbol appeared on the ground, trapping their feet. Lana was able to leap out of the way, but Impa, Sheik and Link were trapped. Try as they might, it was like struggling against quicksand.

Link felt a burning in his hand, and saw the symbol of the Triforce glowing in his hand. He also felt an awful sensation, as if claws had sunk into his skin and were trying to rip it out from him.

But he was not alone. There was another glowing light, and they turned in shock towards Sheik, whose hand was glowing with the power, albeit from a different part of the trinity.

"Sheik, that's-" Lana began, but was cut off by a terrific boom.

They watched as the two pieces of the Triforce were ripped away from them, and flew towards the dark void ahead of them. Only to be caught midway.

"Oh, Link…" Cia said, admiring the two pieces of the Triforce floating above her hand. "What a beautiful present you've given me! Why…it's just what I was looking for. Who knew you were so thoughtful? But…you didn't have to get me two of them…though truthfully…" She held up her hand to show the others, and they watched it light up with the last piece of the Triforce. "_…It's just what I was looking for…_"

The Triforce of Power left Cia's hand, and attached to the other pieces in a gleaming light. Cia admired the breathtaking artifact of the Goddesses before her, and let out a happy little moan of satisfaction.

"Beautiful…beyond compare…" She said. She turned to look to Link, and blew her a kiss. "You're such a _sweetheart, _baby." Link flinched, and angrily turned the other cheek as if he'd been stung. Cia put a hand to her chest, as if hurt. "Link? Dear, why be so apprehensive? When you see what I've got planned…you'll be _begging _to be by my side…" The pieces of the Triforce began to glow. "And that's okay, baby, because I can wait. _I'm all yours._"

"NO!"

They all turned to see a terribly battered, but very much alive, Ishaka at the top of the steps, a crazed look of determination on his face. He tossed his two knives directly at Cia's face, intending to end it all there in a last-ditch move. Cia scoffed, and tilted the Trifroce so that it was directly in the path of the knives. They made contact, and promptly shattered into infinite shining pieces. Ishaka stared in horror as his trusted weapons were rendered little more than dust at the sorcerer's feet.

"Muh-my knives…" He said. It was as if he was unable to comprehend what he'd just seen. Cia tut-tutted, and pointed her finger towards Ishaka. A bolt of black lightning struck him. He gave a horrible scream of pain, as electricity coursed through him, and he tumbled back down the steps.

"Ishaka!" Lana cried out. Cia laughed.

"A fate befitting vermin like him." She said. She held her hands high, and the Triforce rose in the air.

Then came the voice. It was the voice of nightmares.

**"**_**Cia…**_**the time to call the fragments of my spirit is NOW."**

The spellbinding circle at the feet of the heroes dissipated, as Cia became preoccupied with the awesome power at her fingertips. The battle was lost. There was only one option.

"RUN!" Impa said.

The quartet raced away from the increasingly unstable staging ground, as ominous voices speaking foul languages and bolts of lightning filled the air. Strange, ancient symbols burned across the sky like the writings of the Goddesses. The Hyrulian and Ravager forces had long since retreated, intending to put as much distance between themselves and this hellish display above them. All that they could do was run.

Fly.

Flee.

Link was halfway down the steps as he thought he saw a black lump he passed by. He turned around, and saw it was the body of Ishaka. The Ravager seemed like he was moving slightly.

"Link, what are you doing?" Impa shouted. But Link was already moving. He raced back up the steps, and with a roar hoisted Ishaka up and over his shoulders. Huffing and puffing mightily, his face red as a tomato, Link ran back down the steps to rejoin his friends.

By then it was too late to go further. The horror was upon them.

"Get in close!" Lana shouted. Everyone obliged, and knelt by the white mage's feet, and she held up her staff and began to frantically chant an ancient spell. A soft ethereal shield of light, comprised entirely of glowing runes, was beginning to form around them. The only question was whether it would be ready in time.

There was a terrific boom. A massive dark pulse emitted from the top of the ruins. It raced towards them, the harbinger of their doom. Just as it was about to swallow them whole, the runes solidified.

The aftershock was violent, and Link was tossed into the wall of the magical shield. It was like hitting a brick wall.

Everything went black.

_**Et sic concludit hunc actum**_

A/N: Hope you are enjoying. R&R if you wish.

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**Shield Wall – **_A basic battle defensive formation. The army in question forms a square, leaving an opening in the middle for the commanding officers and color guard to be. It is best utilized by forces with superior armor to their foe, and if often used as a form of military snobbery: they are daring the untrained rabble to strike the wall. And the wall will hold._

**Bull-rush – **_A basic offensive maneuver on the battlefield. In lieu of strategic planning, the force in question simply elects to throw fucking everything including the kitchen sink at a fixed point, hoping to win by sheer attrition and numerical superiority. Often used by overly confident commanders, who usually pay the price in blood of their fallen soldiers._

**Agryppa – **_A famed Sheikah warrior of famed skill with the katana. He was said to swing his blade with enough speed and power to cut the thickest of trees in a single, horizontal slash, whilst appearing to have not moved. He is considered the founder of Iaijutsu, an old Sheikah martial art of the single horizontal slash at immeasurable speed and most measureable fatality. _

**San-Sotuka – **_A Sheikah warrior poet whose skills with dual knives were rivaled if not surpassed by her skill as a thespian and dancer. San-Sotuka incorporated many traditional styles of tribal dance into her arsenal, utilizing the smooth yet disorienting moves to get the upper hand on a foe before dispatching them with a series of short yet precise strikes to vital organs. She is considered the founder of Zui Quan, the Sheikah art of intentionally deceptive fighting. Her techniques are considered the most difficult of all Sheikah fight styles to master, and experts are demarked by two large red feathers that are attached to the wearer's belt. To date, Impa of Hyrule is the only living expert of this style to date._

**Krea - **_A Sheikah warrior surmised to have Goron blood, Krea was just as well known for his hard-partying ways as his brawling expertise. Stories sing his praises for being perhaps the greatest drinker known to mankind, once having allegedly bested the Goron King Darunia in his era in a drinking contest, and then brawling his way through the equally inebriated King's Guard to the drunken delight of the regent. He was granted the honorary title "Big Brother" for life. As one would expect of a man of his stature, Krea won simply through sheer brute force and strength, battering his foes to a pulp…and __then__ killing them. His is the most commonly learned style in warrior's circles, though rarely mastered: there is surprisingly a lot of thought that needs to go into a style that seemingly consists of "punching a foe till he goes limp." Krea is Impa of Hyrule's personal hero._

**Manhandla – **_The legendary scholar Shad of Ordon once famously penned in the botanical section of his long-spanning scholarly encyclopedia __Hyrule Historia__ "Though I at times doubt the existence of a higher power watching over us, I know for a fact that the devil exists and plots against us from below. For only he could have created such a beast as this." _

_Indeed, this passage is at the beginning of every scholarly entry concerning the nightmarish beast that is merely dubbed "Manhandla," to remind readers that there is no more fitting a name than this: a biological affront against nature that seemingly only lives to manhandle and destroy life around it. The "Manhandla" consists of a rooted base that, deep within, contains a jewel-like heart that is supposedly extremely sensitive to outside contact. That is why it is always covered by a layer of rock-hard plant wall. It is technically plausible to expose this jewel, but that would require stunning the beast._

_And to do __that__, one must contend with the four "heads" that each Manhandla possesses. Similar to the Deku Baba, a Manhandla has heads armed with razor-sharp teeth and a most foul disposition towards life. All life is prey to the Manhandla, and it is equipped with many useful techniques to eat: each "head" can lunge at foes with blistering speed, or can spit rock-hard seeds with such force and quantity that they have been known to reduce even the sturdiest and oldest of trees into sawdust. And, in case foes get too close, Manhandlas can emit a noxious gas that sears the lungs of anyone that breathes in too long._

_As if this wasn't enough, a Manhandla is not necessarily "rooted" to the ground. Its roots can propel it across the land at a methodical (though utterly terrifying for a plant) speed, ripping up and ironically tilling the land behind it. It is also able to create Manhandla stalks at nearby locations, whose seed spit works better than most artillery branches in military._

_Mercifully, Manhandlas only seem to grow at a speed that would make Bonsai trees look swift, and only "hunt" in the most forsaken of lands, where nothing of worth lives or dares to live. Thus, they starve rather quickly._

_There is no known record of a Manhandla being killed by anything except a concentrated army effort, and even then those occasions can be counted on one hand._

_The number of men lost to do so is, understandably, horrifyingly higher._


	11. Interlude

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "_like this",_ while a crowd singing is demarked "_**like this."**_

His hearing came back first.

It a ringing in the ears, followed by voices. They were muffled, as though someone had stuffed cotton in his ears. Then came thinking. _Wait, what happened?_ He willed his eyes open. Too quickly. His head was pounding something awful, like he'd taken a hammer to the side of the skull. It was throbbing, and it made his eyes hurt. He closed them again, blinked once, and opened them again to see Lana kneeling beside him. His vision was blurry, but there was no mistaking that blue hair.

"Ssh, be still Link." She said. "You got banged up pretty good. I'm trying to fix you up good as new."

Link groaned in pain, and nodded. He wasn't quite at the point of comprehension where he could see what was going on. They were just outside of the Valley of Seers now, right at the point where the decaying land met the life and vibrance of the Hyrulian plains. The Ravagers and Hyrulian soldiers, those that had survived, had all retreated out here and were aimlessly wandering about. There was no drive to do anything, because how could they react to what they saw in front of them.

Across the land, there were three…openings that stood from the ground and seemed to rise up into the heavens. Around the portals were the landscape of the land that they knew, but within the boundaries of these massive openings were…somewhere else. It was like looking at a massive painting with the framing removed, and the blurry way the landscape within seemed to form gave everyone a great sense of unease.

Link groaned, feeling some of Lana's magic begin to take hold. He sat up slowly, with Lana reaching in and putting her hand behind his neck for stability.

"Where's…Ishaka?" Link managed to ask. Lana sighed.

"He's over there." She said. She pointed with her free hand, and Link looked in the direction she was pointing. There was the Ravager captain, sitting with his legs crossed, staring aimlessly at the ground. His pipe was lit and smelled of something sweet, but he wasn't smoking it. It just hung limply off of his bottom lip.

He looked like hell. A fading bruise around his eye, several nasty lacerations and cuts on his face, and deep bags under his eyes. But the most shocking thing was the fact that he had shaved his beard. Link vaguely remembered seeing him struck by Cia's dark lightning, and remembered a horrible smell like burning hair when he had run back to save the man. Ishaka must have shaved the rest of it off, down to a much more manageable stubble. He looked very young.

Ishaka looked up at Link, and offered a weak smile.

"'Ey there, 'ero." He said. He coughed a little bit. "Sleep well?"

Link nodded. Ishaka chuckled a little bit.

"Tha's good, tha's good. 'Fraid we mighta lost yeh back there." He turned around over his shoulder and pointed to the distance. "Ain't them some pretty ligh' shows, miss Lana?" He asked. He was speaking jovially, but Link and Lana could sense a deep pain inside of him. It would come out. It was only a matter of time.

"Those…those are the Gates of Souls…" Lana said. "I…I didn't think that it was possible. That kind of power of magic? I…I didn't know Cia could, oh Goddesses, this is-" She trailed off. Ishaka snorted.

"Welp, if'n yer not too thrill'd 'bout them, I'm gonna take a shot inna dark an' guess they ain't good." He started smoking again, but at this point it was clear he was just doing it to take his mind off of something.

At that moment, Impa and Sheik made their way to the group.

"Oh good, you're awake, Link." Impa said. "I was terrified that we'd lost both you and Ishaka here." Sheik nodded gravely.

"Indeed. The actions of this sorceress are beyond anything that I thought was possible. This is a grave development." He said. Impa looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Ah, yes." Impa began. "While we're on the subject, let's talk about this, hmm?"

With frightening speed, she had pulled out a dagger hidden in her sleeve, and was now pressing it against the side of Sheik's neck.

…

"Impa!" Lana shouted, springing up to her feet (and letting go of Link's head, who fell to the ground with a pained grunt).

"Getting some answers." Impa said. "While you have been more than accommodating to our questions, this one here has some explaining to do." She turned back towards Sheik, and gave the young man a withering look. "Speak."

"Speak of what?" Sheik asked. Through this entire exchange, the masked man had not even flinched nor batted an eye at the prospect of having his throat slashed by an enraged Sheikah warrior. Impa snarled.

"Do _not _play coy with me, _boy._" Impa said. "Think of the circumstances that we found you: while looking for the princess, a fact that Cia would no doubt have knowledge of, you appear out of nowhere and lead us through the Eldin Caves. You assure us that the princess is not dead, and you were supportive of an expedition to the Valley of Seers. And _then,_ we walk into a trap that robs Link of the Triforce of Courage…_and you of the Triforce of Wisdom._" Impa took a deep breath. "I'm going to give you one chance. You will tell us exactly how you came upon the Triforce of Wisdom. You will tell us of your ties to Cia. And you will tell us where the princess is."

"And if you do not like the answers?" Sheik asked. Only his eyes were visible, but Link could see that he looked positively _bored _by Impa's threats.

"We'll see." Somehow those two words were more terrifying than any complicated death threat Impa could have gone with. The tension hung over the group like a cloud, and was enough to draw the attention of some of the nearby Ravagers and Hyrulians. Ishaka had staggered back up to his feet, and was waving them to stand by.

For now.

"My name is Sheik." The young man began. "And you are correct to wonder why I was in control of the Triforce of Wisdom. Such an artifact is the Royal Family's by birthright. The only ways for the current holder to relinquish control is by death, or by willing transferal to another. Of course, I doubt the princess would be pleased to see that I have lost her gift to another method: forcible extraction by supreme dark magic."

"Do you take me for a fool, boy?" Impa asked. "Do you expect me to believe you came across the princess, who proceeded to _willingly _give you the Triforce of Courage, an artifact _blessed by the Goddesses?_"

"Yes."

Ishaka bit his lip to keep from whistling. This Sheik had stones.

"You'd better be more specific." Impa said. She pressed the knife dangerously close to Sheik's carotid artery. Sheik raised an eyebrow.

"You assume the alternative is that I killed her and stole the Triforce?" He asked. Impa seethed in silence. At this silent accusation, Sheik's bored expression became annoyed. "Then clearly you do not know your princess as well as you thought, Impa."

"What on earth are you implying?" Impa asked.

"Do you seriously believe that a single Sheikah warrior such as myself could defeat the princess of Hyrule? Do you really think that she is such a harmless daffodil that the very thought of combat causes her to shiver in fear? No, she could have killed me at any time if she wanted to." His cheekbones seemed to rise up. The masked man was smiling. "She nearly did, come to think of it. I was walking through some woods to the northwest of the Castle town, when *thwock!* An arrow grazed my nose and embedded itself in the tree I was leaning against. She'd thought I was an agent of the dark, and only at the last possible moment did she recognize and correct her error."

He continued after a brief pause.

"She remembered me from when we were younger. My father had come in years ago, while the king of Hyrule was still alive, as one of the many tribals pledging allegiance to the realm. I remember you. You had to be called from the meeting because you needed to train for your test to become an expert in San-Sotuka's style of combat. You caused an awful ruckus, if I remember correctly."

Despite herself, Impa snorted. "Caused a ruckus," indeed. If merely folding her arms and pretending not to hear Lord Fawlty squawking that she needed to leave the throne room was causing a ruckus, then her sticking her tongue out as she left was worthy of an international incident. She also had a memory of several young-looking tribals who were allowed to interact with the princess. Perhaps this "Sheik" was one of them.

"Continue." Impa said. Sheik nodded.

"Well, she asked me if I remembered her. She was wearing…well, she certainly wasn't dressed up like a princess. More like a beggard. I said yes. You don't fail to recognize a princess who was nice to you, despite her social standing against your, even if she is wearing a disguise. She asked me if I could do something most important for her. I asked what it was. She held out her hand…and for the first time in my life I knew why men spent so much time competing for the favor of the Goddesses. That Triforce was beautiful, beyond compare. She asked me to safeguard it, and to find her loyal lieutenant, a mountainous man old beyond his years, and the hero. She said I would recognize him when I saw him. I spotted you first, Impa. You were leading the army out from the castle and into the plains towards the Eldin Caves. I quietly tracked you until it was illogical not to reveal myself, and then joined in your quest to stop Cia. I hoped that the princess would be able to reveal herself there, but alas I was mistaken."

"What do you mean, reveal herself there?" Impa asked.

"That's the thing." Sheik said. "She disappeared as soon as she gave me the Triforce. I mean, I blinked, and then she was gone. I wondered for a moment if I hadn't hallucinated the entire thing, only to feel the glow of the Triforce in my hand to remember that it was all real. Everything else, you know because I have never been let out of your sight. Honestly, I wonder if she does not get tired of your vigilance, Impa."

The Sheikah warrior ignored the playful jab, and stared long and hard at Sheik. Then she sighed.

"…Bizarrely plausible." She admitted. She slowly sheathed the knife.

"There's still plenty more that I would like to know, 'Sheik', but for now there are more important things to worry about. Right now, we need to deal with…whatever it is that those things are." She gestured to the glowing gates in the distance. "I think the wisest course of action is to rendezvous with Lord Grantham, and plan from there."

"I wonder what he will say?" Proxi asked, having emerged from hiding to sit on Link's shoulder.

…

"_I didn't ask for this!"_

The shout echoed across the halls of the Hyrulian castle, enough to make even the most stoic of Royal Guardsmen briefly flit their eyes in the direction of the outburst, before quietly returning to their post. Impa winced, and made a lowering motion with her hands.

"Elijah, keep it down!" She said. "The wrong person might hear you and think that there's something truly to despair about!"

"Impa, our subjects aren't _blind!_" Grantham said. He was pacing frantically across the room, one of his hands continually running through his hair. "Everyone can see those…gates as clear as day across the horizon. Do you have any idea what gossip can do to stoke fear? And by the Goddesses, this makes it easy! You could summon _Gaius* _through those portals! What on earth am I supposed to tell the nobles? That we have the situation under control? By Hylia, I spent literally the entire morning after you got back keeping them from voting to _imprison _you, Impa!" He said.

That dropped like a bomb. Everyone stared at him in shock. Sheik was the first to speak.

"Who led the motion?"

"Who else? Fawlty." Grantham spat bitterly on the stone floor. "He thought that Impa lied about having the situation under control, and got enough of the more spineless nobles to back a motion to have her imprisoned for…some trumped up charge of treason. I don't know, it was something they cooked up to make themselves feel like they were in control."

"Did it come close, gen'ral?" Ishaka asked. Grantham sighed, and shook his head.

"Thankfully, no. Lord Reedus, by virtue of being Lord Judicial, is the one that would ultimately sign off on such an order. And he was just as annoyed if not moreso than I was at this lunacy. The majority of my day was just talking them off of the ledge." He smirked. "I think I caught Reedus doodling on Fawlty's motion for arrest during the proceedings."

"If Reedus gave me a few minutes alone with Fawlty, I can assure you that his charges against me would have some merit." Impa said. Grantham laughed. It was the first time that his worried façade had broken.

"Oh dear, that would be something! I would pay to see that, though of course you're right and you _would _be imprisoned with merit. Though I appreciate the joke, Impa." He said.

Impa chuckled with him, though Ishaka had to bite his lip to keep from laughing: Impa was doing one of those "Haha just kidding…but seriously I meant it" laughs. He was apparently the only one to catch this.

"All jokes aside, we need to deal with this now. Who knows what Cia has planned?" Grantham asked. "And I am going to take a guess that she went through one of the portals. What is she looking for?"

"What she's looking for I can't say." Impa said. "But I agree. We must take the fight to her, again."

"Though what I propose is…going to be difficult." Grantham said. "You're going to have to hit all of them at the same time."

"What?" Impa asked. "That's absurd, Elijah, you and I both know that stretches our soldiers to the breaking point and-"

"-and it's the only thing that kept the council agreeing to fund your expedition." Grantham cut her off. "I told them that you would do it, and they believed me. You don't want your one ally to be deposed, do you?"

"That is remarkably cynical, Elijah." Impa said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Got a better plan?" Grantham asked. Impa sighed and shook her head. No. No, she did not.

"Then how will we split everyone up?" Lana asked. Everyone turned to look at her, and she blushed in embarrassment. "Er, I mean, I figured that that was a given considering what we're supposed to do and-"

"No, no, that's brilliant Lana!" Impa said. "Practical, really. Let's see…" She was doing the mental math in her head, rubbing the bottom of her chin as she did so. "One of the portals, Link can go through. He is probably the most dominant of us in this group, so I think he can handle it by himself."

Link smirked in appreciation.

"Sheik and I will go through the next portal." Impa said. "I might need some backup."

That was a bold-faced lie. Impa could rip through an army of Bokoblins like a grain thresher if she wanted to. The reality that everyone figured was that she wanted to keep an eye on Sheik. The slight eye roll that the masked man gave further proved that he was aware of this. Thankfully, he said nothing.

"That leaves…Lana, take Ishaka and go through the next portal." Imp said. "That should be everyone. Any complaints?"

Lana looked slightly worried that she was going with Ishaka, judging by the slight glance she sent his way. Matters weren't helped when he let out a booming laugh, and hoisted her up on his shoulders. Lana let out a squeal of shock, and put a hand to her heart to calm her breathing once she was safely up.

"Hee hee hee! Jes' you an' me, miss Lana! We gonna take whatev'r th' world throws at us, innit tha' right?"

"Um…yes! Yes it is!" Lana said. Everyone else sort of smiled, and just shook their heads.

…

Later that night, as everyone lay asleep in wait for the inevitable journey that tomorrow would bring, once again Ishaka was alone on the balcony, having a smoke to himself. And once again, he felt a presence beside him.

"Yeh need ta stop doin' this. One a these days I'ma gonna lash out an' hurt some'un'." He said, partially joking.

"I could tell that something was bothering you." Sheik said, stepping out from the shadows. "You're normally much more…relaxed in your jovial nature. Today, some of those moments felt forced. Like you were keeping up appearances."

"Nah, I be fine, Sheik!" Ishaka said. "Yer jes' bein' a good kid, but I be fine."

"Right. And I was born yesterday." Sheik said. He hopped up and took a seat on the ledge, his back facing the abyss in front of them. He stared at Ishaka with those mysterious eyes. "What is it that bothers you so?"

There was a pause. Ishaka took a deep drag from his pipe. He let out a sigh.

"I 'ad a dream."

"Understandable. Most people do."

"Not like tha', ya _ordo._" Ishaka said. Sheik smiled, but the Ravager captain didn't see it. "It was a…I gues' it t'was less of a dream, an', an' more like an omen, yeh know?"

"I think so." Sheik said. "What was it about?"

"I was inna field. Dark. Grey. Ain't no signs a' intell'gent life anywhere." Ishaka said. "Thought I was dead. Cert'nly felt tha' way. I get up ta my feet, an' I hear a voice. Female. Pretty…" He trailed off, as if remembering the moment vividly. "Could jes' tell tha' th' lady tha' own'd tha' voice would blow me away."

"What was she saying?" Sheik asked.

"T'was 'ard ta make out at firs'." Ishaka said. "But…but then it got loud'r. She was sayin' 'I got plans fer ya, I hope yeh can find me.' An' I 'member shoutin' out, 'where? Where do I fin' yeh?' An' then th' voice is righ' in front'a me. 'Yeh'll fin' me,' she says, 'within th' fire yeh've been runnin' from.'" He looked at Sheik and shrugged. "Tha's when I woke up, an' miss Lana was treatin' me."

"That is quite the dream." Sheik said. He sighed. "I cannot tell you much, other than that clearly the Goddesses must have plans for you, Ishaka." Ishaka heard this, and frowned.

"Pfft. Sure they do." He started walking away. "I'm gonna go ta sleep. G'night, Sheik. See ya in th' morn." He genially made a motion like doffing a cap, and then walked back inside. Sheik watched him go, until he had disappeared into the blackness of the night. Then he turned back around, positioning himself so that his feet hung over the ledge of the balcony. Sighing, he looked down at his hand, where the scorched burn that once held the Triforce was.

It was getting hot. He lowered his face wraps, and felt the refreshingly cool wind blow against the lower half of his face. He took out his harp, and gently plucked the strings.

And as the moon rose in the night sky, it was greeted with the soft sounds of a sad song.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this interlude. We begin the true meat of the story next chapter. Leave a review if you can. They'll always much appreciated.

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**Gaius – **_A popular Hyrulian myth. In the beginning, when the three Goddesses created the earth and all of existence, they realized that they needed a large being to serve as the base upon which all life could grow. And so Din, Goddess of Fire, created a massive rocky behemoth named 'Gaius' who was to serve as the earth itself. But Gaius had no intention of serving the three Goddesses, and began to thrash across the land, nearly shattering the earth itself. In the end, Din was forced to solicit her 'sisters' Nayru and Farore for help, and together the three cast Gaius into an eternal sleep,by spreading a cloud of miasmic gas that outstretched across all of existence in itself. This gas became the air that all living things need, and from there, life could grow and flourish on him. The only signs of his existence, Hyrulians like to tell their children, are the mountains across the land: for they are the pieces of Gaius that are too far above creation to be sufficiently influenced by the miasma, and so retain their rocky appearance. It is a popular folktale that at the end of time, the miasma will wear off, and Gaius will be free to rampage once more._


	12. Act II: Aren't Gorons Nicer Than This?

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "_like this",_ while a crowd singing is demarked "_**like this."**_

It was even bigger up close.

Impa stared up at the…portal before her, trying to read what it was that was on the other side. It was hazy, but it appeared to be another country that looked relatively pleasant. At least she wasn't leading her men into a guaranteed hellhole. Rather, it was an _implied _hellhole, which only became even more troubling the more Impa thought about it. So she didn't think about it.

The Hyrulian and Ravager army had mixed together, and then had promptly been split into three groups. Gazing down the plains, Impa looked in the distant direction of the other two portals and sighed. Ishaka and Lana were at one of them, while Link was at the last one. It seemed that each portal was at one end of Hyrule each, essentially stretching the army like rubber. Impa only hoped that it would not break.

"Commander Impa?"

She turned. The leading Ravager, a Craol named Itami, had walked up to her. He was a dark-skinned fellow, with an unkempt beard and a tightly-shaved Mohawk on his head. Ishaka had assured her that he was the best lieutenant she could ask for, though Impa had not seen him fight. "Yeh ain't s'poss'd to." Ishaka had told her, before giving her an infuriatingly sly wink.

"Yes, Itami?" She asked. The Craol gestured to the rest of the army.

"We await our orders. I've double-checked everyone in the line. They are properly equipped." He smirked. "Most of our men and women have never been properly outfitted with armor or weapons before. This is…a welcome change."

"I figured that we could make do with sparing some of the spare wares from the royal armory before we went to war." Impa said. "Considering you all have done so marvelously without proper equipment, one shudders at what you can do now."

"You needn't shudder. It is our enemies that will howl." Itami said. There was a dangerous glimmer in his eye, and in that moment Impa knew that Ishaka was not joking when he said that this was the right man for the job.

Once again, Impa stared at the massive portal in front of her. The view of the other side was distorted, like peering at the surface while submerged underwater. Something was visible on the other side. It looked strangely familiar, but Impa could not put a finger on it. She sighed, and turned to face the army in front of her.

"What we ask of you is unlike anything that has ever been asked of you before." Impa said. "If the mystics and the mages are to be believed, then what I ask of you is to leave everything that you have known…and enter another age. Another world. It will seem somewhat like home, and yet there will be something alien about it. It is a quest foisted upon us by the Goddesses, but it is essential in order to stop the threat of the Sorceress Cia." She hardened her resolve as she continued. "But understand this: Once you cross this portal, and once you leave this world of ours…there is no guarantee that you will return. This may be the last time that you set foot on this wondrous land that we call home. We ask you to travel to, and perhaps even die, in another land so that you might protect the ones that you love." Impa closed her eyes. "I understand if this is beyond what you believed you signed up for when you took the oath to defend Hyrule. Or when you decided to join with our cause." She looked at the Ravagers as she said this. "Thus, if you wish not to go…I will allow it. This is your chance to walk away."

There was a long pause. No one moved. If she looked carefully enough, it would appear that the soldiers simply seemed even more determined to go through with it. Impa smiled.

"Then come with me, warriors of Hyrule and beyond. Let us take the first step necessary to save all that we know!"

There was a resounding cheer that rose up from the crowd. Impa turned around to face the portal again. She took a deep breath, and stepped into it.

It was like walking into standing water. Impa gasped, expecting the liquid to fill her lungs. But instead, she came out on the other side breathing nothing but air. She stepped forward, and looked around.

It was a field, with soft, rolling hills and grass that went up to her shins. There was something in the air that made her feel…strangely nostalgic, as if she had been in this place before, once upon a time. She looked around, and gazed into the distance. A massive mountain loomed in the distance, spewing a halo of smoke around the volcanic summit. Somewhere birds sang.

She looked around, and saw that others were emerging from the portal as well around her. Sheik walked up beside her, and gazed around the idyllic landscape that was in front of them. When he spoke, there was an air of awe in his voice.

"We're in the Era of Time." He said. Impa turned to face him.

"The 'Era of Time?'" She asked. There was an incredulity to her tone, as if she could not believe what Sheik had said. Sheik nodded.

"I'm positive, Impa. This is the time period that gave us the great legend of the Hero of Time.*"

"Goddesses." Impa said. "We are truly in a hallowed land, aren't we?" She asked. She looked around. "Where do we go from here, though?" She wondered. "Lana said that the Gate of Souls would be somewhere important, but she wasn't really specific."

"The fact that she was even able to help sense where to go for the Gate of Souls is remarkable in and of itself." Sheik said. "She is truly a powerful sorceress. I envy that skill."

"I imagine that you do." Impa said. She gave a sideways glance towards her Sheikah companion. Sheik caught the implication.

"Do you still not trust me?" Sheik asked.

"All I know is that you're lying about something." Impa said. "Whether it's a lie by omission or deception, it's still something. So to answer your question, 'Sheik': no. I still do not trust you. And I will be keeping you directly by my side for the entirety of this operation. Am I clear?"

"Transparently." Sheik said. There was a tense pause between the two of them. It was broken when the Ravager commander approached them.

"Commander," Itami said. He pointed in the distance towards the massive mountain in the distance. "Some of the mystics in my brigade feel a powerful source of magic emanating from that mountain. Perhaps an approach there would be the proper course of action?"

"Not a bad suggestion, Itami." Impa said. She studied the mountain in the distance, and then her eyes widened.

"What is it, Commander?" Itami asked. Impa took a deep breath.

"Well, if this is the Era of Time…then that must be Death Mountain* from all of those years ago." A smile graced her lips. "Then, by the Goddesses!" She took the horn from her hip and blew into it a long and strong note. The rest of the army turned towards the source of the sound. Impa waved her arm, gesturing towards the mountain.

"Make way for Death Mountain!" She said. "Let us pay our ancient friends the Gorons a visit."

There was a loud cheer, especially from the Goron branch of the force, and with that the army began moving forward.

…

The fields of Hyrule were much longer than Impa expected them to be, and as a result ordered a much slower pace for her troops in order to prevent overexertion. Sheik had taken to riding a horse, while Impa continued to walk with her men. Walking alongside her was Itami, who showed no signs of fatigue or even the slightest bit of stress. Impa looked around, and decided to make conversation.

"Itami?" She asked.

"Yes, Commander?" He replied. Impa smirked.

"Impa is fine."

"Fair enough. What is your question, Impa?"

"How long have you known Ishaka?" She asked.

At this, Itami chuckled. He turned towards her.

"Brother Ishaka? I have known him since the beginning. I would estimate roughly…three years now." Impa raised her eyebrows.

"Wait, only three years? How long has the Ravager army existed?"

"About the same time, I reckon." Itami said. At this, Impa straight up turned to face the Ravager lieutenant.

"Hold on. You have this elaborate of an army, with a clearly proud culture, and _very _defined sense of community…and you've only been knitted together for three years?"

"That sounds about right." Itami replied. From his perch on the horse, Sheik could tell that Itami was smirking a little bit. Impa shook her head.

"Has Ishaka always been the leader?"

"Yeah. Though, I'll give ya, we haven't always been this big." Itami said. "Started as a buncha misfits. Ishaka came to us as a little band of mercenaries, climbed up to the top of the pile, and then from there…we started thinking big."

"So before this all, you were just regular sellswords?" Impa asked. Itami snorted.

"If that. We were living in the southern vale, after all. A better word for us might be bandits."

"What caused the change?" Impa asked.

"Ishaka, really." Itami said. "He got into an argument with the old leader, thinking that it wasn't right for us to be robbing people that were out there just trying to make a living the way we were. The leader dared him to do better, and then Ishaka said that he would go out and start his own band of men and women, explicitly to prevent the old leader from doing anything like that."

"And how did that go?" Impa asked.

"Considering we all got up and followed Ishaka, I'd say that it went pretty well." Itami said with a small smirk.

"Seriously?" Impa asked. "You all just got up and left with Ishaka?"

"You've spent time around him, Impa." Itami said. "You know what he's like. There's an inexplicable charisma about the man. The kind that exudes power, you know? But Ishaka has never made a decision that would abuse it. Which is good, because if he wanted to be he could be even worse to the people of the southern vale than that Sorceress' forces were."

"I imagine so." Impa said. "His fighting skills are near-unparalleled."

"Fighting skills?" Itami snorted. "I was talking about when he gets angry. I'd rather be disemboweled with a rusty fishing knife than be on the receiving end of Ishaka's fury." Impa was left to stand and wonder, and Itami continued to walk forward with the rest of the troops. She felt a presence next to her. Sheik had dismounted, and was watching after Itami with her.

"If I may, that was decidedly ominous." Sheik said. Impa nodded, her attention more so on Itami's words than on the fact that she was freely conversing with someone that she still didn't trust.

"Yes…I'll have to ask Ishaka what he meant by it."

"Perhaps we will see what he means once Ishaka re-encounters Cia." Sheik said. "He was quite broken up about the loss of his knives."

"That is true." Impa said. "It was…strange. I've lost weapons before. I've even lost weapons that held personal meaning to me before. And yet Ishaka reacted to that like he'd watched a loved one get murdered in front of his eyes."

"Could be just that he valued those knives quite highly." Impa said. Then she looked more thoughtful. "You're right. They meant something deeper to him than that."

…

The army continued marching for the remainder of the morning and into the mid-afternoon. Death Mountain loomed ahead of them, and now Impa could make out the pathways that led up the mountainside. Impa felt relieved. The Gorons would hopefully be receptive to their presence, provided them explained themselves properly. If the stories of great king Darunia were true, then he would find the whole affair quite amusing. Therefore, he would have to help out of an obligation to settle his own amusement.

They reached the foothills of the mountain as the sun was just beginning to sneak behind the tip of the peak. Impa reckoned that they had about an hour or so of pure daylight left. She gazed up the rocky path that led to the Goron kingdom. She turned around.

"Listen up! Be careful going up these mountains. The Gorons of this era invented an ingenius mortar system to defend their homes, and though I highly doubt that Darunia will fire upon Hyrulians like ourselves, it would be best not to rest on your heels. Be cautious climbing up these rocks."

…

At that moment, a small twinkling of light came fluttering down the mountainside. It collided directly into Impa's chest, mometarily knocking the wind out of her.

"Help!" The little ball of light, now revealing itself as a fairy, said. "Princess Ruto is in danger!"

Sheik's ears perked up at the news of that.

"Princess Ruto?"

"By the Goddesses, how far in time did we travel?" Itami asked. Impa regained her breath.

"It's another age, Itami. The sheer number of years is mind-boggling."

"But surely you must have an estimate? I mean, let's do the math."

"Do the math?" Sheik asked.

"Yeah, do the math." Itami replied.

"Is this seriously the time or place?" Impa asked.

"I'm just saying, we're on the precipice of insanity here and I want to make sure that we don't do something that will inadvertently mess with the fabric of tim-"

"_**HEY! LISTEN!**_" The little fairy suddenly shouted. Immediately, everyone within five hundred feet of the little creature clapped his or her ears in pain.

"By the Goddesses, I think that burst my eardrums!" Impa said. Itami looked like he'd been force-fed an unripe lemon. Sheik's face was hidden, but the wince in his eyes told the story. He was also the first one to recover.

"You mean, Ruto, Princess of the Zoras?" He asked. "How is she in trouble?"

"She was abducted by the Gorons!" The little fairy said.

That caused everyone to turn and stare at the little ball of light, their jaws in various stages of agape shock.

"Did you say that Ruto was abducted by _Gorons?_" Impa asked. "What in the name of Hylia caused that?"

"I don't know!" The fairy wailed. "Their leader, Darunia, used to be such a gentle soul." There was a pause. Then the fairy dropped the bomb. "Someone named Zelda showed up and…he hasn't been the same sense!"

That got everyone. Sheik, who was cupping his hands beneath the little fairy as a means to hold her, nearly clamped them together in shock. The little fairy flitted upwards and away, just out of his fingers' reach.

"Zelda?" Impa asked. "Princess Zelda is here?"

"Let's go and see with our own eyes." Sheik said.

…

They marched a little further, around the gentle bend of the foothills of the mountain, before they reached the entrance to the Goron domain. The massive wooden gates to the upper echelon of the mountain were wide open, as if beckoning (or perhaps daring?) them to come forward. Itami whistled, and the Ravagers began to gear themselves for the battle. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Peace, Itami." Impa said. "The Gorons are age-old allies of the Hyrulians. We are not about to preemptively strike them, and especially not in their home kingdom."

Impa was a world-wary woman, and was more than capable of recognizing when murder stared her in the face, such was Itami's glare.

"…Ravagers have no such scruples, commander." He said.

Before they could argue further, there was a massive horn blown. Materializing in front of them was a Goron force. Every one of them was decked in their sturdiest of armor, and their weapons were at the ready. The Goron captain walked forward.

"Halt!" He bellowed. "None are allowed entry into the Kingdom of the Gorons! Outsiders are to leave!"

The Hyrulians stayed put, but the Ravagers were inching forward. Impa could feel herself sitting on a powder keg, and stepped into the opening to mediate.

"We come in peace!" She said. Her voice was powerful and commanding, enough so to get the Ravagers to momentarily halt their advance. She stepped forward so that she was alone and unprotected in the no-man's land between armies, and raised her arm in a slow and calculated manner to show that she was not threatening. "We wish to speak to your ruler, Great Brother Darunia!"

"No outsider is allowed to see Great Brother Darunia, not even one accustomed to our ways as you*, outsider!" The Goron captain barked back. He was a sturdy fellow, not particularly tall for a Goron but exceptionally stocky. Impa tried not to think about how it would feel to be squashed beneath him.

"Be at ease, high brother!" Impa said. "We wish to solicit Great Brother Darunia, the Mighty Lord of the Mountain, on a most ugly rumor that threatens to besmirch his name!" She saw that the Ravagers were starting to rile up the Hyrulians amongst them, trying to psyche up their comrades for war. She did not have much time.

"Do you accuse Great Brother Darunia of a poor reputation?" The Goron Captain said. Spittle flew from his lip, and veins were starting to form in his neck. He'd clearly been offended.

"Impa…" Sheik had slowly walked up beside her. "There's something wrong about his eyes."

Impa gazed harder, her eyes straining as she tried to look closer. Sure enough, there was truth to the man's words: while most Goron eyes looked big and friendly, there was something beady and dark about his. There were jagged dark lines stretching out from his orbital sockets, like there was something behind his face manipulating his every move like a puppet. Impa winced. Something was forcing these Gorons into compliance. This Goron most likely had no idea what was going on.

"Great." Impa said softly. "We're dealing with some dark magic. Mind control?"

"Most likely." Sheik replied. "It looks like a Poe's work, but it would take an awfully powerful sorcerer to pull one off that infects an _entire _people."

"Could it be that dark wizard under the employ of Cia?" Impa mused. She heard the sound of Ravagers and Hyrulians alike nocking arrows, and realized that they were at the breaking point. There was only one thing to do.

"High brother!" She shouted. "I must confess to the truth: _I DO _accuse Great Brother Darunia of a poor reputation! I accuse him of possessing a weak will! I accuse him of being bent by his poor impulses! _And I accuse him of being unable to best a drunkard in combat, much less me!_"

There was a horrific roar amongst the Gorons as they registered this stream of grave insults to their leader's name. Impa turned back towards her army.

"Shields up! Take defensive positions!" She said. "Archers, nock and hold! Hold your positions, no matter what comes forth!"

A series of whistles and howls erupted from the allied coalition, and the sounds of shields being planted bottom-first into the ground began to reverberate through the defensive line. Spears and pikes and anything long with a pointy end were aimed forward, daring the Gorons to make a charge that would be suicidal in execution. Sheik drew two daggers, but before everything went to hell he managed to look at Impa in confusion.

"You wish to anger the _entire Goron race?_" She asked.

Impa looked at her and smiled. It was the smile of one who has thought eight steps ahead.

"Not all of them. Just one."

…

There was a massive sound, akin to an explosion. Something flew through the air, falling towards the no-mans land between armies like a launched artillery shell. It was a circular, rock-like object. It hit the ground with a terrific crash. It was so violent, archers dropped their arrows in shock or harmlessly shot them off into the air, only to land dead and flat a few yards away from them. All of the Gorons took a knee in unison.

The spherical, rock-like object shuddered, and then grew arms and legs. Slowly, it uncurled to reveal a massive Goron. He easily stood head and shoulders over everyone on the battlefield. His beard was massive and white, and though his gut was large he looked like a rock monster come to life. He folded his arms across his chest, and stared with enraged contempt at the coalition before him.

"Who?" Goron King Darunia roared. "Who _dares _to insult my name on my very doorstep?"

There was something terribly wrong with his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and sunken deep as if he hadn't slept in days. The same stretch marks around the captain's eyes appeared around Darunia's, though his appeared to pulse with some sort of dark aura. Already intimidating enough, he looked like something out of a waking nightmare. It was enough to make those in the front of the coalition pray for a peaceful resolution. Impa stepped forward.

"I dare."

"You have some nerve, outsider!" Darunia said. His voice seemed to shake the very foundations of the mountains, and spittle flew from his lips. "Do you not know of my name? Do you not know what I am capable of?"

"I know exactly who you are and what you are capable of!" Impa said. Her voice was brave and strong, and gave renewed confidence to her men as they saw their leader without fear in the face of this menace. "You are Great King Darunia, Defender of the Mountain! Magma King of the Deep, The Ironhide Warrior, Great Big Brother of the Goron People! The Lord Dominator of Dodongos, Slayer of the Weak, Regent of Rock, and _Sage of Fire._"

Impa put added emphasis on this last line, and a handful of some of the more tangentially-religious Ravagers and even Hyrulians took a moment to bow their head in respect.*

Darunia laughed. Perhaps in another setting this would have been a pleasant and perhaps even warm sound. Here, it was not.

"You know of my reputation, I see!" Darunia said. "Then why do you wish to throw away all of your lives due to your foolishness?" He gestured to his soldiers behind him. "All I need is to say but a single word, and you will all be dashed on the rocks!"

"So says you." Impa said. "I have come to challenge you, for I believe that your titles are a lie, created by your cult of personality to artificially bolster your fragile ego." Darunia laughed again.

"Oh?" He replied. "And what is at stake, puny human?" Impa smiled.

"A simple matter: pride. If I win, I can say that I have bested the greatest fighter in the world. If you win, you can say that you have bested the greatest living Sheikah fighter: Impa."

Darunia stared at her contemptuously. He held his arm out. There was a flash of smoke and fire, and soon a massive hammer appeared. He held it by the handle, and effortlessly twirled the handle in a show of strength. He looked at her long and hard, and then spat on the ground.

"I will pick your pulp from the grooves of my hammer, _fecacutis*_."

There was an audible gasp. Even the Gorons behind Darunia seemed to recoil in horror. The Hyrulians, amped as they were already, immediately trained their weapons on the Goron leader. If it was not for the holding hands of Itami and Sheik, they would have fired at once. But even Itami and Sheik were clearly shaking with rage.

Impa closed her eyes. Slowly, she drew her Biggoron Knife, letting it glint in the dying light of sunset. She held it in front of her face. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing there but murder.

She charged.

…

Darunia swept low, intending to snap her legs. Impa leapt upward, timing the jump perfectly to land on the flat edge of the hammer head. Her weight plus the momentum of the swing caused the hammer to get stuck in the ground, revealing an opening on Darunia. But before Impa could swing, Darunia gave a roar and deadlifted the hammer out of the ground. The sudden shock sent Impa flying head over heels above and behind Darunia. She landed on her feet, and then swiftly rolled away just before the hammer struck where she stood with a mighty clang.

Impa swung first, making a horizontal slash aimed for Darunia's shoulder blades. As she predicted, he raised the handle of his hammer in line to block the strike. Seeing an opening, she slipped underneath. She stood in the opening between Darunia's outstretched arms, and raised her elbow up fast and precise. The bladed edge of the joint caught Darunia right under the nose, and she heard a satisfying crack of cartilage and felt that initial spurt of blood land on her arm. Darunia gave a roar, and slammed his arms together in an effort to crush Impa like a vice. She ducked through the opening before it closed, landing on her back.

She rolled to the left as Darunia swung downward once, and then to the right as he swung again. She tried kicking his leg out from under him, but it was like kicking concrete. Instead, she spat upwards. It struck Darunia directly on the bridge of his nose. As he sputtered in disgust, Impa swung the flat side of her blade directly into the soft backside of his knee, sending the Goron leader falling in a heap. His hammer was knocked away, but so too had her Biggoron knife been thrown aside.

Frantically scuttling backwards on her back like an agitated shrimp, Impa avoided Darunia's attempts to smother her. When she realized that she could go no further, she wrapped her legs around his torso and locked her feet together. Now tightly into closed guard position, she grabbed his right arm and pulled it towards her right hip. She shot her right leg up and past his hip, while at the same time hooking her left leg up and around and behind his neck. She re-linked her legs together, completing the triangle choke, and squeezed as hard as she could.

Darunia's eyes were bulging out of their sockets, but he was not unconscious yet. He hooked his free arm underneath Impa's hips, and with a roar deadlifted her up into the air. Though she still had the hold locked in, she knew that if he slammed her like this it would be the end. So in the split second before he threw her downwards, she reacted. She used his right arm as a springboard, pulling herself up forward so that she could wrap her right arm around his head in a front facelock. From there, she swung the rest of her body around to the left so that she was off to Darunia's right side.

When he slammed forward, it hurt like hell, but it also forced his head facefirst into the hard rock.

Slowly, Impa rolled away from the wreckage, desperately trying to regain her breath. Her back was numb with pain, and she hoped that she hadn't broken anything. She wouldn't feel it until later, anyway. If she was around to make it to later, that is. Darunia moaned in pain as he lay facefirst in the dirt, clutching his head. Impa staggered back to her feet, but then winced as the dark spots in her vision started to spin and her sight began swimming. She staggered to her left, and then to her right. By now, Darunia was getting up. She forced herself to focus, hoping to regain control of herself before he could properly be armed. She grabbed her Biggoron knife right at the same time that he grabbed his hammer, and they both swung.

Sparks flew, and the recoil knocked both of their weapons out of their hands. Impa didn't have any time to react before Darunia lunged forward, tackling her head-on and driving her viciously to the ground.

He slowly got up to his knees, and looked down before him. Impa was breathing, but her eyes were closed. Darunia laughed, and held his arms out and forward towards the Hyrulian forces.

"This is your great champion?" He bellowed. Blood was streaming down his nose now, some of it dripping down and landing on Impa. He had a black eye, and his face was partially swollen. "She is _nothing!_ And you didn't step in to stop me! You are _vermin,_ nothing but Hyrulian _scum, _and Lady Cia will take great pride in skinning the lot of y-"

At that moment, Impa's eyes snapped open. With cat-like reflexes, she lashed upwards and grabbed Darunia's right arm again. Before anyone knew what had happened, she had hooked in another triangle choke even tighter than before.

Impa's head was swimming and throbbing and every inch of her body was screaming with pain, but she knew she was not hallucinating to see the black marks on Darunia's face begin to pulse and fluctuate violently. So she kept squeezing. Darunia's breathing was reduced to a hoarse, ragged noise, but now there was another noise coming: a high-pitched whine of pain. It couldn't possibly be coming from Darunia. Impa was half unconscious and most likely concussed, but she had a hunch in her stupor and kept holding on.

Then, in that moment, came the breakthrough.

Darunia's body shuddered violently, as if he was beset by a sudden cold. The lines surrounding his eyes faded, and his eyes returned to their blue hue of normalcy. They seemed to widen as his brain processed that he was in a chokehold, and he did the only thing he could.

He tapped out.

Impa let go, and let the now-unconscious Goron king roll over onto his back. She checked to make sure that he hadn't swallowed his tongue, and allowed herself to relax when she realized that he was essentially just napping. Through half-open eyes, she looked directly above her to see a massive Poe writhing in pain in the air above her, clutching its head in agony. It looked at her and began to shriek in some archaic black language, and pointed its bony finger in retribution. And that was about all it got to do, because in that moment Sheik raced forward and played a sweet chord on his harp, creating a pulse of magic that eradicated the apparition.

There was a massive groaning amongst the Gorons, as each of them began to clutch their head as if experiencing the morning after too many drinks. Some of them keeled over in pain, clutching their temples and moaning. A dark cloud seemed to have lifted off of time, and some began to make their way over to where the coalition forces were, gingerly offering welcoming arms to the understandably _very _suspicious Ravager and Hyrulian forces.

Sheik raced over to where Impa was, as the latter had pulled herself up and was sitting upright, resting her back against Darunia's belly. Sheik reached into his pockets, and frustratedly slapped aside a bottle that he had hoped would contain a fairy.

"Somebody get me some medicine, _now!_" He said. His voice was high and strained, as if he was hoping to yell but not without his voice cracking. "_Now, Goddess damn it!_" He turned back to look at Impa, who was staring at him blearily. She had some nasty cuts on her face, and it was likely that her eye would bruise with time. And they still didn't know about her back. But she was alive. "Goddesses, Impa, are you alright?"

By now, Itami had come forward. He looked at the sight before him: a battered Sheikah woman who had choked a Goron king unconscious, and the latter snoring peacefully beside her. Itami sputtered for the words, before ultimately settling on the only one he could.

"Amazing." He said.

"Spectacular." Sheik said.

Impa laughed, through cracked ribs and a throbbing headache.

"What did you expect? I don't make challenges…I do not intend to win."

**A/N:** Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, dear readers! Apologies for the delay in posting. The reality is that I was stuck on this scene for a while, because there was a small quibble I had with the OG storyline of the Death Mountain fight: Like me, you must likely ran through the Goron armies like a thresher on corn fields, which begs the question of _how on earth could they still be a reasonable fighting force? _I decided to write out a solution that allows the Goron army to remain a good threat to the forces of darkness, as well as showcase just how much of a badass Impa can be. Oh, and for the record: that was not Darunia himself that spoke such a horrifically offensive line. It was Wizzro's shade using his mouth as a puppet. I imagine that, if he was conscious, Darunia would be horrified and ashamed at such racism and hatred. He always struck me as one of the chillest fellas in the Zelda universe.

That's all for this chapter. See you next time! (And be sure to drop a review if you can. They're always much appreciated.)

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**The Hero of Time – **_The Hero of Time. What more can be said of the most famous legend in the history of Hyrule? Well, perhaps it is not the most famous per say, or perhaps the best, but it is certainly the one that folks evoke the strongest sense of nostalgic glee in remembering. A young man discovering his destiny, a beautiful princess, and a dark and terrifying monster…and what some say time travel as well combine to create what is considered the most well-known and often-told fables in Hyrulian history. It is certainly the most-researched by scholars, and there are many elements in this story that seem to crop up in other tellings of the Hero of the Ages._

**Death Mountain – **_A terrifyingly large mountain that is said to be where Din, Goddess of Fire, first landed on the planet to begin creating the earth itself, was around during the time of the Hero of Time (see above). It was the home to the Gorons as well as the Dodongos, as well as the legendary Dragon Volvagia. The story of the Hero of Time battling Volvagia is one of the most popular myths told to children in the land, as the added twist of the Hero's pain at having to battle his old childhood friend brainwashed by evil never fails to make even the hardiest of men find their blood brothers and hug them. Over the ages, frequent eruptions rendered Death Mountain into a series of smaller volcanic mountain ranges, though none of them have ever reached the size of the original and mighty Death Mountain._

**Princess Ruto – **_Princess Ruto I of the Zora people is one of the most famous regents in the history of the regal people of the Zora, for more reasons than one would think. On one hand, she was the ruler at the head of the first Zora "Golden Age," where their culture began to expand across the globe and led to an explosion in artistic and musical and writing excellence. On the other hand, the spunky ruler (who famously never married) developed a reputation as a shameless, __shameless__ flirt who was willing to hit on anyone she found attractive. The number of men claiming to be betrothed to her highness would be laughable if her reputation for handing out marriage declarations like a drunkard leaving a successful night at the casino didn't drive her advisors so far up the wall. She could be a little bit demanding, and most definitely enjoyed the privilege royalty brings (also famously being carried into battle in the arms of whatever soldier she found cutest), but she was a wise and just ruler of her people, and she is remembered fondly._

_Recently discovered collections of her majesty's private journals reveal, beneath her snarky and sassy and slightly bossy exterior, a romantic at heart who loved the life she lived…yet privately wondered about what life had been like if she had truly been pledged to marry a blonde-haired hero that had brought such excitement to her life…_

**Conversing with Gorons – **_Gorons are a particular people. If you have been declared "brother" or "sister," then feel free to converse with them in the most informal of tones. However, if that status has not been conveyed upon you, then it is only polite to adhere to their customs. Gorons refer to their ruler as "Great Brother" at all times, and the most powerful person in an area at any time is referred to as "High Brother." "Little brother" is used by a dominant party speaking to a lesser party, and "outsider" is a word only used by Gorons when they deeply distrust an individual, which admittedly takes some doing._

_Persuant to their ruler, it is considered customary to address the ruler of the Gorons by the entirety of whatever titles he has been bestowed (or bestowed upon himself) before properly conversing with him. Naturally, this can really stretch out introductions, which is why you only have to do it the first time you see him in your conversation. There are rumors that the whole thing is little more than a private joke the Goron leader is playing on foreign dignitaries, watching those stuffed shirts stumble over themselves as they try to remember every single one of his titles and perhaps invent a few new ones in the process. There is no evidence to suggest that the Goron king ends up taking the phony titles that he likes best to add to his reputation, but there is __**also **__no evidence to suggest that he does __**not. **__Scholars are still divided on this, and the Gorons sure as hell aren't making that knowledge public._

**Sages and "lesser deities" – **_For those that don't necessarily ascribe to the "Three Golden Goddesses of Existence, One Goddess of Hyrule" theory, there are plenty of other religious sects to be found in the world. Hyrule and her sistering countries are very spiritual, and thus it is little surprise that some mighty figures in history, for the accomplishments that they made in their lifetimes, have achieved a sort of sainthood in the legendarium of religious spirituality. The Seven Great Sages, however, are considered above the rest because they are __explicitly __considered mortals that were so mighty that they were raised to the level of near-deity in their lifetime. A more accurate representation would be that they are intercessors for the divine, but not divine themselves. After all, for mortals, the concept of immortality is alien and rather frightening, and only the most deluded (or loneliest to begin with) actively pursue forms of immortality._

"**Fecacutis" – **_An __**unspeakably **__offensive (and racist) pejorative directed primarily towards the Sheikah people (as well as darker-skinned Craols). It is a corruption of several words that translate to skin and manure, and the implication essentially explains itself. There is no acceptable social setting for this word to be uttered, and even academics refuse to utter or even reprint this word in translations of old literature out of principle. It is also a death sentence in the presence of a Sheikah, and to this date no trial has condemned the attacker for avenging his or her deeply hurt honor._

**Goron King Darunia – **_The most famous king of the Gorons. The man named the Sage of Fire, Darunia was well-known for being a gentle soul at heart whilst playing up a gruff exterior on the outside. However, once you got to know the man, you'd be willing to run through a brick wall for him. Charming, funny, witty, strong, and level-headed as he was in running his kingdom, the Gorons prospered under his rule. They also enjoyed life, because Darunia prided himself on being the greatest partier in the history of Goron kings, and made it a point to always drink the most, to always tell the dirtiest (and funniest) joke, and always pick up the tab at a party. The legendary tale of Sheikah warrior Krea outdrinking Darunia at a celebratory feast is still considered a victory for Darunia by his subjects, for a rather simple bit of logic: when everything was over, could Krea roll home? No, but Darunia certainly could. Therefore, by the transitive property of trolling, the Gorons deemed Darunia the winner. _

_Getting named "Honored Brother," the Goron equivalent of demi-god, was probably a nice consolation prize for the __very__ hung-over Krea, however._


	13. Act II: Identity Crisis

A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "_like this",_ while a crowd singing is demarked "_**like this."**_

They sat there on the rock, milling about for what had seemed like an eternity now. The Ravagers had taken to mediating between the Hyrulians and the Gorons, making sure that the last traces of whatever dark magic had been infecting these kind people was gone for good. One of the Hyrulian captains took it upon himself to stand guard with a group of his men as Ravager shamans* gently examined the people of the mountain. Judging by the cheery (and incredibly apologetic) nature of the Gorons, it was fair to say that they were all returning to their former selves. That left the uneviable task of waiting until the Goron King Darunia awoke from his induced slumber. Judging by the sheer depth and volume of his snoring, it was unlikely that he would wake any time soon.

Impa sat against a nearby rock; her back throbbing as the adrenaline left her and the pain what she'd suffered started to leak into her system. Itami was kneeling in front of her, wrapping up the various cuts she'd acquired during her fight.

"He's out cold, isn't he?" Impa said. She cocked her head to the side to look past her caregiver and towards the snoring mass that was Darunia. "Really, really out cold." She seemed to be admiring her handiwork.

"I am not surprised, considering that he was literally choked into unconsciousness." Itami said. He had set some small bowls on the ground by their feet, and was periodically dipping his cloth into the mixtures in each bowl and dabbing it against Impa's cuts. "But for now, I think it would be better for you to focus on yourself. I've seen corpses that looked better after a fight than you are right now, Impa."

"Oh, come now." Impa said. "These are just scratches."

"Scratches that won't stop bleeding." Itami retorted with a hint of frustration, as he kept dabbing at a gash above Impa's eye that wouldn't coagulate. He frowned slightly in annoyance, and then reached for another bowl he'd set on the ground and began to sprinkle in a different batch of potpourri to form a new mixture. "By the Sage, you're going to exhaust my entire supply of medicine before the day is out."

"Perhaps someone else should step in?" Impa asked, perhaps a little too cheekily. Itami looked up from his bowl momentarily, and gave Impa a rather pointed glance.

"There is no one in the company that is better at this than me." He said. "Someone else will miss something, and then it will fester…and several months from now you'll awaken to find yourself suffering from gangrene or another nasty little problem." He returned to mixing. Impa smirked.

"Not exactly the bedside manner I'd expect from a doctor, Itami." She couldn't resist teasing him. Itami "hmmphed" sardonically.

"I'm not a doctor, Impa, I'm a war medic. There's a difference." He said. "And you are neither dead nor dying, removing the need for 'bedside manner.' _And _you're being a smartass. So you'll forgive me if I come off as slightly brisk." He tapped his stirrer on the side of the bowl, having finished preparing the mixture. "Besides, Ishaka would have my hide if anything happened to you while we were out here in…wherever the hell it is that we are." This perked up Impa's interest.

"Really? That scruffy old bear cares about me that much?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Itami chuckled, and began dabbing Impa's cut with the new mixture. She winced as it stung in the wound. Part of her wondered if Itami had prepared such a sharp concoction on purpose.

"I think he's more concerned about his money than he is about you." Itami said with a wink. "And before you ask: no, there is no way for me to prepare that without it stinging, and yes it is the best way to stop a cut from continuously bleeding." He reached into one of his side pockets and pulled out another cloth, and began to wrap it around Impa's forehead. "This should keep it from bleeding again. Don't take it off for a couple of hours…and try not to get hit in the head for a while, ok?" Impa smirked, and Itami smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, commander, I think I should see to the rest of the army." He bowed slightly in respect, and walked away.

Impa sat there for a moment, watching the sun set in the distance and her army begin to mingle with the Goron forces. Sheik walked up alongside her.

"Are you alright, Impa?" He asked. Impa sighed, and stretched her head backwards, feeling her neck crack.

"I've felt worse. I mean, I haven't felt anywhere near this bad since I tussled with a King Dodongo, but that was worse than this." She said. She turned towards Sheik. "You don't think I crippled him, do you? He's been out a while."

"I doubt it." Sheik said. "I think he stopped being unconscious a while ago and is just sleeping. Possessions like the one that Poe put on him sort of puts you in a waking trance for a very long time. Depending on how long the Poe was in control here, Darunia could have been awake for days straight." Impa winced.

"That is cruel."

"Poes aren't known for their kindness." Sheik said. "And I would bet my life that this one in particular was summoned by that Wizzro that Cia controls." He looks contemplative in the distance. "I wonder if we'll run into the dragon warrior out here? What was his name, again?"

"Volga." Impa said through gritted teeth. She was slowly staggering to her feet now, and stared bitterly into the distance as well, towards the portal from which they'd come. "He and I have unfinished business. It ends with my hands around his throat."

"Lose a fight?" Sheik asked. Impa snarled, and spit on the ground.

"No, it was a draw. And I would have _won, _if Ishaka hadn't been an _idiot _and tried to play hero!" She said. Sheik chuckled despite himself.

"Perhaps our Ravager friend knew that it pays to have a backup plan?" He offered. When he saw Impa's annoyed glance only strengthen, he chuckled and held up his hands. "I'm just saying. At least you're both alive."

"Indeed." Impa muttered. She glanced over at Darunia, and saw that he was stirring. "Finally. I was getting worried."

.

He sat up bolt-right, startling the Goron messanger that knelt by his side.

"No, not the rum!" Darunia shouted, his face a mask of panic. He blinked once, his face now changing to a look of confusion. "Wait…why am I out here on the mountainside?" He suddenly let out a moan of pain, and smacked his hand against his cheek. "And why do I feel like I got in a fight with a pack of rabid Dodongos and _lost?_ What in the name of-am…am I bleeding? _What in the name of the Goddesses is going on?_" He turned around and caught sight of Impa. He let out a relieved cry. "Sister Impa! You can help me!" Impa's eyes widened in confused shock.

"Wait-I don't think tha-**HURK!"**

At that moment, Darunia had wrapped her up in a massive bear hug, the Sheikah warrior's feet dangling slightly off of the ground. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and it was enough to cause Sheik and Itami (as well as some of the braver soldiers in the rank and file) to start laughing. Almost in mid-hug, Darunia realized something.

"Wait a second…" He muttered. He dropped Impa unceremoniously on her feet. He stared at her contemplatively. "You're not Sister Impa!...Wait, you are…but you're not _quite _her. Am I making any sense? I think I am, but I can't be certain-_Goddesses, _I could use a drink."

At that moment, a few enterprising Gorons started racing up the mountains towards their leader's private stock.

"Um, Great King Darunia…" Impa began. Darunia shushed her with a wave of his arm.

"You needn't use such formal tongue when speaking with me, semi-Impa." He said. "I sense the greatness of an honorable warrior within you, and thus that is worthy of you holding the title of Big Sister for the Gorons. On one condition…" He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth with a panicked look of confusion on his face. "_What in blazes is going onnnnn?_"

"I-I w-wi-will e-ex-plain n-now st-sto-stop sh-sha-shake-shaking me-e-e-e." Impa managed to get out in the midst of Darunia's flailing. Darunia let go, and Impa fell to the ground on her backside. Darunia looked at her, and folded his arms across his chest.

"Thank you kindly, Sister! Perhaps in the midst of this you can explain to me who it was that caused my handsome face to be covered in cuts and bruises, eh?" He chuckled. Impa sheepishly turned towards Sheik, and knew that that masked bastard was smirking under his mask.

.

"Blow me away! A different dimension? An evil sorceress? _You beat me in a fistfight?_" They were in the throne room of the mountain king, and Darunia was seated upon his throne, slouching to the side as he listened to Impa's tale. "If the fate of the world didn't seem to actually rest in the balance, I would find this a most wonderful tale!" He slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne, causing everyone to jump at the sound. "Well, I am not one to stand by the sidelines as the world, or worlds, is decided without my opinion. Sister Impa, you need only say the word, and my Goron armies are at your side. And myself too!" He smiled, and lackadaisically twirled his Megaton Hammer. Impa and the rest watched this nonchalant feat of strength with rapt wonder; they had never seen anything so strong before. It was unlike anything they'd ever seen. "After all, I think that I owe this Sorceress Cia a cracked open skull or so for trying to crack open mine! What do you think of that?" He chuckled, and took a large and noisy swig from a tankard of the strongest-smelling ale Impa had ever smelt that had been set beside his throne. Impa smiled, and bowed reverently.

"I appreciate your offer, Big Brother." She said. "Right now, though, the most important thing for us to do is close this dimension's Gate of Souls. From there, we would gladly take your help in order to stop Cia." At the mention of such a gate, Darunia perked up.

"A Gate…of Souls, you say?" He pondered this for a moment. "I cannot say that I have heard of a Gate of _Souls, _per say, but…before I lost memory of what happened to me due to that blasted Poe…I can faintly recall the princess of the Zora coming to me to discuss a most unnatural port-oh no." He suddenly looked rather pale.

"What is wrong? What is the matter, Big Brother?" Impa asked. Darunia put his hand on his stomach, and made a face like something he ate was disagreeing with him.

"I…I think that I put her in the dungeons…" He said weakly. "Erm, uh…oh dear." He glanced around the room at the rest of the people in it, and let out a gulp. "I, uh, suppose that means I've gotta let her out then, right?" He said. Itami let out a snort.

"How bad could this princess be?" He asked. Darunia stared at him with fearful eyes.

.

Darunia had resigned himself to his fate, and began to walk down from the pristine area of the throne room and down the mountain towards the dungeon keep. Impa and Sheik agreed to follow, with Itami tagging along at Darunia's insistence (especially after finding out that Itami was the best war medic that Impa had). They made their way through a labyrinthine maze of corridors and passages deep within the mountain, and Impa got the feeling that some of the rock used to build these musty and old dungeons had never had light of any kind shined upon them. They stopped in front of a rather large and onerous looking door. Trembling slightly, Darunia fiddled with the key to the cell door and then cautiously cranked the door open.

There she was, sitting on a small wooden chair. Her arms were tied behind her back and placed around the back of the chair, rendering her defenseless. Her feet were tied together, so even if she were to escape she might be able to hop a few feet before falling on her face. And most importantly, there was a gag in her mouth. She was breathing heavily, and was positively _glaring _at them as they walked in the room. Trembling slightly, Darunia walked up to Princess Ruto I of the Zora Empire, and with haste removed the gag from her mouth.

They were half a mile into the depths of the earth, and her enraged scream could still be heard outside the foothills of Death Mountain.

"_DARUNIA YOU GREAT BIG DIMWIT IF THIS IS A PRACTICAL JOKE IT SURE ISN'T FUNNY!" _Ruto was shaking back and forth in the chair, gnashing her teeth and howling like a banshee. It would have been hilarious if the others in the room didn't think she was about to bite out their throats in her rage. "I AM A **PRINCESS, **AND YOU'VE GOT ME TIED UP LIKE A LOWLIFE COMMONER IN YOUR _BASEMENT? _BY THE **GODDESSES, **WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU _**CLEANED **_THIS DUMP? I THINK I SAW A _**RAT**_ A FEW MOMENTS AGO!"

"Little Sister, I can explain!" Darunia said, cowering behind Impa. "It's, uh, it's all a big misunderstanding!"

"IT HAD BETTER BE!" Ruto shrieked. How one was able to scream at an octave that high was a mystery to Sheik and Itami, who were both covering their ears and cowering. (Sheik was, anyway. Itami thought he was going to die, he was laughing so hard) "I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH-" She stopped mid-rant when she saw who he was hiding behind. "Impa?"

Oh Goddesses, here we go.

"Has your ruler _LOST HER MIND?_" Ruto shouted. "She's gone and driven my people out of our kingdom, and is currently using it like some sort of _**SUMMER HOME!**_" She harrumphed. "If anyone gets to build summer homes, I should at _least _be consulted on the appropriate décor." She then did a double take, and looked at Impa again. "Wait a second, Impa…you look different. Did you change your hair? Because I _love _it! It looks good on you, sugar!"

Impa felt embarrassed, as all eyes were now looking at her hair and she sensed that she was going to have to tell another story. Darunia, having regained his confidence, stepped forward.

"Now, now, don't be too shocked, little sister, but this is a bit of a doozy. See, they're…well, maybe we'd better walk and talk."

.

Later that night, as the Ravagers and Hyrulians made camp in the foothills of Death Mountain, Impa sat atop a craggy piece of rock that gave her a nice view of the Hyrulian Plains that seemed to stretch across the horizon. If she squinted, she could see what appeared to be a walled community and a castle, and felt a strange pang of homesickness. That was home, all right, but it wasn't _home._ There was a difference, and her heart knew that.

"Are you alright?" Impa turned to see that Shiek had climbed up the rockside to sit next to her. He held his harp in the crook of his elbow, and soon began to absently tune it. Impa sighed.

"I'll be alright. I'm glad that Darunia decided to explain things to Princess Ruto. While I might not have…been as _dramatic _as he was, I suppose it got the point across. They know we're not really the people that they know and care about. We're…we're like a reflection in a disturbed pool of water. It looks like you, but it isn't perfect."

"Very philosophical, Impa." Sheik said. He finished tuning, and then absently started strumming his harp. Impa listened to the music for a moment, and then a look came across her face.

"I know this tune." She said. Sheik skipped a bit in his playing, but continued.

"It is a common tune." He said. He continued playing, but now what it was that he was playing was different. Impa turned to look at him, and frowned.

"Don't lie. You've just changed what you were playing. That little song that you were playing earlier. I know it."

"Are you sure?" Sheik asked. "I mean, perhaps you've confused it with something els-"

Before he could finish, Impa had lunged forward with ninja-like quickness, and yanked the facewrap off of Sheik's face.

There was a pause that lasted an eternity.

"I know that song because I taught it to you, _Zelda._"

The princess looked away, unable to meet her closest friend in the eye.

"No no no no. You don't get to look away from me now. Not when your secret is out." Impa said. "Zelda, look at me. Zelda. _Zelda._"

Zelda turned back to face her, looking positively pathetic.

"Why the secrecy?" Impa asked, after a long pause.

"I thought I was protecting you. She wants me dead, Impa. Not just captured, not just a slave. Dead. And I know she'd do horrible things to you and the others in order to draw me out of hiding into a trap." Zelda said. "I disappeared, and placed my trust in you to rally Hyrule in my stead. I wanted so desperately to reveal myself at the battle in the Valley of the Seers, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why?" Impa asked. Zelda shrugged. The red eyes of Sheik had slowly faded away, and now in their place were her natural shining blue.

"I do not know. I thought that my disappearance would lead Cia to believe that I was dead, and with me dead she would become overconfident, and thus prone to mistakes? I do not know, it was a terrible plan!" She buried her head in her knees, shaking slightly. Impa heard a soft sobbing noise. "I don't know if I can do this, Impa. I thought I was coming up with a clever and ingenious plan, the kind that good rulers are capable of making and executing, and now I feel as though I've doomed countless to wasted deaths. Would…would things be different if I'd just been myself?"

"Zelda…" Impa said softly. She placed her arm around her ruler's shoulder. "What brought this on? The Zelda I've known has never run from battles. She's never been afraid to be who she was destined to be. What happened?" There was a pause. "Was it the loss of the Triforce of Wisdom?"

"I felt like a child!" Zelda said. There was true anguish in her voice. "For generations the Royal Family has protected that as our birthright, and Cia snatched it away from me as though I were a stupid kid. Like I wasn't even _there. _What kind of Queen could I possibly be, if as a princess I lose the one thing that has been the most important heirloom in my family's history?"

"The mightiest are the ones that see when they have failed." Impa said. "But they are the ones that do not let themselves sink into grief and misery because of that." Impa sighed. "I cannot pretend that I know all of the answers. All I know is that things are difficult, Zelda, but we will get through them. You just have to believe, I suppose. It sounds silly, but sometimes that might be all it takes."

"I must be rubbing off on you." Zelda said with a smile.

"That's because you're my friend." Impa said. "Friends tend to do that."

There was a silence. Then Zelda spoke.

"What should I do now? Do I continue the ruse, or do I reveal myself to the others and explain everything?"

"It is entirely your call." Impa said. "One of the first ways you can fight back against this crippling sense of self-doubt is by not letting her even influence your decision-making. That's the first step to remembering how strong you are, Your Highness." Impa stood up. "I'm going to bed. The attack against the forces of darkness, led by your doppelganger, begins at dawn. I will need all the rest I can get. I recommend that you do the same. Good night, Zelda." She smiled softly, and then walked away for the night.

.

The following morning, long before the sun started to rise over the horizon, Impa found herself awake and in Darunia's throne room. The Goron king was pacing back and forth, as a map of all of Hyrule was laid out on the table before him. Some of the higher ranking Hyrulian soldiers and Ravagers were there as well, and Impa was surprised to see that Ruto was awake as well. Well, awake was pushing it, perhaps. The Zora leader was struggling to keep her eyes open…and periodically leaning against the shoulder of a Hyrulian soldier, that Impa had to confess was rather good-looking, to fall asleep. Consideirng the young man's rather embarrassed expression, Impa believed that she was starting to do it on purpose at this point.

"So the scouts' report was rather precise?" Darunia asked Itami, who was leaning against the table that held the map. Itami nodded once.

"Yes. The source of the monsters is the depths of Lake Hylia. From where the Zoras originate when they emerge from the water." He said. He glanced over at Ruto, who was still half asleep. "We found that the Zoras are currently taking refuge to the south of Lake Hylia, though they are rather frustrated with the lack of success they've had in retaking their homeland…and in Darunia's fit of madness."

The Goron king looked sheepish, and offered an apologetic shrug and grin.

"Erm…Sorry about that." He said after a moment of waffling. "I don't suppose you were able to explain things to them?"

"I did my best." Itami said. "They are aware that something had overcome you, so that your actions were not your own. Nonetheless, the actions of your body, even if they were not condoned by the actions of your spirit, have resulted in an entire people being displaced from their home. I imagine that you will have to mediate the peace when things settle."

"Of course!" Darunia said, pounding the table almost with enough force to shatter it. "No measly sorceress or her bamboozling Poe can ever override my sense of brotherhood with the kingdom under the water! Whatever the cost, I will make amends with my friends."

"*Yawn*…Save the speech, Darunia…" Ruto said. She was nuzzling against the poor Hyrulian's shoulder now like it was a pillow. "All I gotta….gotta say is that…*Yaawwwwnnn* you're good and…you'll be good….*snore*…."

Quite royal, that one was.

"That is what I told them you would say." Itami said, a small smile emerging on his lips. "The people believed it…but they will still appreciate seeing it in action." He gestured to the map. "The main source is seemingly from the center of the Lake, which makes no sense because creatures need air to breathe. But these creatures…they do not live. They are reanimated corpses and piles of bones, hastily forged into an army."

"Stalchildren?" Darunia harrumphed. "I go through those munchkins like paper! I could eat a hundred of them and still have room for dessert…Not that I eat Stalchildren, mind you."

"Of course." Impa said with a smile. She turned to Itami and nodded. "Thank you for the report, Itami." She turned to the rest of the war council that had been assembled. "Based on what your legends have told us, the Gate of Souls must be at the bottom of the Lake, deep within the Water Temple. It is possible for us to reach it but…we will need to force the enemy's hand." She sighed. "Our enemy masquerades as Princess Zelda of the Hyrulian People. If there is a way for us to take advantage of that fact, we will exploit it."

"Masquerades?" Ruto said, suddenly snapping awake. "Let me tell you something, Impa. That didn't look like a puppet Zelda. That was the real deal. That was _her. _And if it wasn't, I'll kiss the closest man I can find!"

There was a pause, as they heard footsteps. The entire company turned around to see Sheik walking down the steps from the upper chambers. But though this person was dressed in Sheik's garb, it was most definitely not him. For one thing, "he" was in fact a "she." And though she may not have been 'their' princess, everyone saw that the woman before them was a real and most certainly true Princess Zelda. She gave a sort of sheepish smile to Impa, an implicit message sent between the two of them. The rest of the people in the room bowed their heads in reverence.

Ruto glanced at Zelda, and then looked at the Hyrulian she'd been leaning against.

"Eh. You're good."

.

Ignoring the fact that one of their allies was at the moment rather passionately living up to her word on a rather confused (but most definitely not upset) soldier, the rest of the people in the room welcomed Zelda to the war table. Darunia coughed.

"I imagine that there is a reasonable explanation to this, your highness?" He asked with a warm smile. Zelda was about to speak, when Itami cut her off.

"It means that my commander owes Impa twenty five rupees."

Impa's eyes widened in panic, and she'd been motioning for Itami to shut up before he finished his sentence. Zelda's rather regal expression devolved into childish annoyance in record time.

"Whuh-jgb-hr-guh-you _bet on this?_" She asked. Impa tried not to make eye contact.

"Well, not on you revealing your identity…but…" Impa's voice gradually lessened in volume and higher in pitch. "…rather, who would…find you…first?" That last word was practically a squeak. This admission did not help matters.

"You-you…what am I, a _scavenger hunt?_" Zelda managed to get out after a few moments of incomprehensible and unprintable angrish. She facepalmed, and let out a long and loud sigh.

"Are you alright, your highness?" Darunia asked. Zelda nodded.

"Yes, Big Brother Darunia. Surrounded by _children_, maybe." She glanced rather pointedly at Impa, who was doing a terrible job of concealing her smile. "But I am okay. Unfortunately, I do not think that I am _your _princess Zelda. If that makes sense."

"Considering the insanity that's been going on today, I'll believe everything I see and hear!" Darunia said with a laugh. "I _did _think that it was rather odd that you had left your yearly holiday in…where was it…Holodrum? Something like that. Anyway, you needn't explain yourself about this whole thing. You and I are on the same side: killing bad guys!" He chuckled, and swung his hammer up on his shoulder. "I defer to you, your highness. Someone seems to be dressing up as you. Might be time to show the world your face, hmm?"

Zelda nodded. She reached forward, and in a small flash of light, her trusty rapier emerged from the trans-dimensional pocket she'd hidden it. She casually twirled it around once or twice as if to reclaim the feel of it, and then expertly sheathed it by her hip. That was all the answer she needed to give.

.

They made camp in the foothills of Death Mountain on the edge of Lake Hylia as the sun was beginning to rise. The orange and red shades that the sun colored the fields and rock in reminded Impa of the old days, back when her tribe was more numerous and lived in the southern deserts. She was content to watch the world awaken as the armies around her mustered themselves for the inevitable assault.

Zelda was standing next to her, still clad in Sheikah armor. She had borrowed some additional leather and metal attachments from the Goron armory, in order to protect herself a little bit better. Impa could tell that she was uncomfortable wearing even that much armor (and it really wasn't that much), but Darunia had insisted on her being properly protected. Zelda turned towards Impa and smiled a little bit.

"Will you follow me, even after I played an unfair trick on you?" She asked. Impa smiled, and drew her Biggoron Knife.

"Of course, Zelda. It's just…I should have always known that it was you. The things that you said…the things that you did while you were with us…it should have been a dead giveaway." She smiled. "Especially you talking Lord Grantham off of the ledge over losing you. Goddesses, the look on his face when he finds out who you were!"

"Oh dear, that will be something." Zelda said, starting to chuckle. "What will he think?"

"I'm not sure, but I imagine he'll find that comment about him doing well in the position he is in rather patronizing when he learns that it was _you _that said it." Impa added with a wink.

"Did I come off as too overbearing there?" Zelda asked.

"No, it was good. Exactly what he needed to hear." Impa sighed. "Wonder how he's doing?"

"Holding the line." Zelda said. "That is the Lord Grantham that I know and that I've grown up knowing. Even when I was but a child by my father's side, Lord Grantham was there as a kindly sort of uncle for me. Now he's going to be my second-in-command…funny how things change."

"And yet they still remain the same." Impa said. She glanced at the ground rather impatiently. "I hate waiting for allies to maneuver into position."

"You mean the Ravagers?" Zelda asked.

"I mean the Gorons." Impa said. "Goddesses, if the Gorons were even half as good as the Ravagers were in maneuvering and planning out their attacks, we'd have never to worry about enemy attacks again. Why did we take so long to find them? Whatever the price would have been to hire them, it would have been worth it."

"But would they have been led by Ishaka?" Zelda asked. "The Ravagers are good at heart and in practice, but a good part of that is thanks to their leader. Whom I notice you tend to converse with quite a bit." She gave a sidelong glance towards Impa. The Sheikah warrior recognized but did not take the bait.

"Generals converse frequently. It is important for good rapport." Impa said. "It isn't quite the same as the way you've ogled the hero, Zelda." That comeback caused her ruler to turn a bright shade of crimson. Impa smirked. "Can't say that I blame you. He is a rather good-looking fellow."

"Impa…"

"Very nice and polite, too."

"_Impa…_"

"Still, you falling for a knight trainee? A bit on the cliché side of the scale, isn't it?"

"_Impa!_"

They were interrupted from their arguments by the sound of brisk footsteps. It was Itami and another Ravager, who had scaled this craggy slope with remarkable quickness. Itami wasn't even out of breath.

"The Gorons are in position. We've rendezvoused with the Zora. They'll be doing everything that they can to raise the Water Temple from its resting place. But it would be wise to capture…" He gestured towards two dams to the west and east. "Those dams there. Close them, and there won't be as much water keeping the temple down. The Zoras won't have too much trouble with that, then."

"Good to know." Impa said. "Have Darunia lead his army down the middle, towards the area that the Temple will rise. If the maps and drawings that the Gorons have are accurate, there will be a stone ramp that leads down into the depths of the lake and through the front door of the temple. Darunia and his men can just roll right through."

"Literally or figuratively?" Itami asked. Impa was about to laugh when she realized that he was somewhat serious. "Whichever is easier for them." She decided. "That leaves us and the Ravager forces. Let's split it. Zelda can take the Hyrulian forces to the eastern dam: that's the one that seems to have the lowest number of forces defending it. It's also the closest. Itami, you and I can take the Ravager portion of our force and hit the western dam." She turned to Zelda. "Stay back, will you? I cannot afford to lose you for real, this time."

"I'll do my best." Zelda said. No one noticed her crossing her fingers.

"What about Ruto?" Impa asked.

"Aside from canoodling with half of the men in the army?" Itami asked drily. "She's going to infiltrate the temple through an old and secret passage, and then help unlock the inner sanctum from the inside. That should be where this mystical Gate of Souls is."

"How do we close it?" the Ravager alongside Itami asked. Impa smiled.

"A concentrated blast of light magic. Lana gave me the spell. It would have been difficult before, with just your shamans to conjure up the spell, but now that we have an unexpected ally…" She glanced over at Zelda, who smiled. "It will be no problem."

There was a whistling in the winds. It was a questioning, almost curious-sounding tweet. They all turned in the direction from whence it came: in the ravines below them, and being relayed across the line.

"That's the signal." Impa said. "They're all ready and in position." She turned to the nameless Ravager. "Escort the princess to her side of the battlefield. Itami and I will make our way for the Ravagers." She turned towards Zelda. "Stay safe, Zelda. Please don't get into any trouble. Promise?"

"I'll do my best." Zelda said with a cheery wave, as Itami and Impa began to climb back down the hill. As soon as they were out of earshot, Itami spoke.

"She's totally going to get herself into trouble, isn't she?"

"Without a doubt." Impa deadpanned.

.

Darunia stood there in the middle of the ravine, listening. Waiting. He tapped his foot repeatedly against the hard ground, and ran his fingers across the top of his Megaton Hammer. It was a fine weapon, supposedly crafted by his ancestors from a fallen piece of meteorite that was said to have been knocked out of the air by the Golden Goddesses themselves, and he relished the chance to use it. It was an ancient weapon, but it was a strong weapon, and it had served his predecessors well. It had served him well, and it would serve his eventual successor well when it came time for him to pass on his role as king of the Gorons. But now was not that time.

A rustling noise could be heard somewhere to the east. Then, a soft whistling. It sounded like a melodious bird, the kind that were brave enough to roost on the foothills of the Goron kingdom. Darunia held his hand up as they all listened, waiting to see if it was just a piece of nature that had stumbled upon their machinations…or the single to attach.

Then it came.

_**Wheeessht!**_

The quick and sharp whistle blew through the air, and as soon as the Goron hornbearers heard it, they went to work. A deep and baritone horn could be heard across the battlefield, and the Goron army let out a synchronized roar.

"FORWARD!" Darunia shouted. He was at the front of the army, exactly where he belonged, and as fast as his feet could carry him, he led the charge.

From their vantage point above the battlefield, Impa and Itami watched the Goron army crash into the unsuspecting forces of darkness like a tidal wave. The sounds of enchanted bone shattering into pieces and even dust as the Gorons surged forward was a welcome sight indeed.

"We'd better get moving." Impa said. "If we don't have the dams raised to drain the lake, Darunia will hit a dead end."

"Agreed." Itami said. He whistled sharply, and from the grass and land surrounding them countless camoflagued Ravagers began emerging from their hiding spots and racing down the hillside towards the western dam. One can only imagine the shock felt by the Stalchildren forces as the hills came alive with the roars of their living foe. That is, if Stalchildren could think that critically.

"Power forward! Power forward!" Impa yelled. With each swing of her knife, several Stalchildren were positively crushed into a fine powder. It was like taking a sword to an expensive piece of pottery. In the midst of this insanity, Impa was beginning to have fun again. Itami opted to lurk on the fringes of the battle, tossing rocks and anything that he could find to stun the fell creatures before his allies could come in for the kill.

It did not take long before the last of the Stalchildren was forced from their keep. Impa peered across the waterfront, down the shore of Lake Hylia, towards the eastern dam. She could see Zelda right in the thick of things, leading her Hyrulian soldiers in a full-frontal charge against the Stalchildren. Precisely what Impa had asked her not to do, the Sheikah warrior noted with a trace of exasperation. Sometimes Zelda was too stubborn for her own good. There was a terrific explosion that rocked the dam, the shockwave enough to make Impa and her force flinch in defense. Horrified, Impa stared into the smoky wreckage. Her horror once again turned to exasperation when Zelda seemingly poked her head out from atop the ruined walls of the dam, giving a wave that everything was clear. Impa signaled back that she understood, and with that took a peek at Darunia's progress.

The Goron army was reaching the shoreline of Lake Hylia, and was running out of enemy to chase. The Stalchildren were so far pushed back that some of them were pinned in the middle of their own force, while the poor unfortunate souls to the back were getting pushed into the water, where a few enterprising Zora warriors would descend on them with knives and spears. Impa had relayed message to the Zora people earlier in the day to not worry about sending armed forces, but apparently their sense of duty trumped the chance for a free military intervention on their behalf.

"Start turning the pump! Lower the water and reveal the temple!" Impa said. A pait of burly Gorons, both clad in Ravager garb and warpaint, grabbed the two sides of the wheel crank and began to turn mightily. Impa hopped atop the ramparts and frantically waved over to Zelda for her force to do so as well. As soon as a team of Hyrulians set forth on the same task, Impa took a moment to regroup with Itami.

"Most likely the enemy keeps the bulk of its force in the temple. When we reveal the ramp and entrance, they will try to counter-attack and might even attempt to overrun Darunia. What could we do to help him?"

"Support." Itami said. "Have him wait before charging into the breach. Try to lure them out first."

"Then what?" Impa asked. Itami gave a curt whistle, and as many Ravagers as could fit on the battlements of the dam raced forward and began nocking their bows. He stared at his commander with a sly smile, and the Sheikah thanked the Goddesses that Ishaka had sent her a most perceptive lieutenant.

From her position up high, Impa began whistling loudly and signaling to get Darunia's attention. As the majority of the Gorons were just ganging up on the few remaining Stalchildren, Darunia was able to take his attention away from the battle to hear her signal. Praying that the big Goron was versed in basic battle signals, Impa gave the request to hold until further notice. Darunia squinted as he deciphered what it was that Impa was trying to get across, and then to the relief of the Sheikah warrior proceeded to blow into his battle horn. He gave a standing order to regroup, and wait for the charge.

No sooner had he done that did the two teams assigned to raising the dams finish their job.

With the flow of water cut off, slowly Lake Hylia lowered its level to a mere puddle of its true depth. Impa stared in wonder how, despite everything else around it looking like a natural lakebed, the entrance to the Water Temple was a large and ornate ramp, nocked and marked with ancient inscriptions in long-lost languages and symbols. The door to the temple opened, creating a massive groaning noise.

There was a hideous roar, and spilling forth from the entrance of this place like a cancerous miasma was one of the largest armies of Bokoblins and Moblins Impa had ever seen. They began racing up the incline, intending to push these invaders back from wherever they had come.

Impa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Truly amateur tactics. She looked at Itami, who knew exactly what she wanted.

"FIRE!" He roared.

A volley of arrows went arching through the air, easily soaring over and past the Goron force and with plenty of room to spare towards the armies of darkness. It did not do critical damage to the force, so dense was their number, but it did halt their advance. As they hastily put up shields and other forms of defense, another wave of arrows came crashing in from the other dam. Impa looked over to see that what few Hyrulian archers that were with the princess had opened up a volley of their own. Leading the way, of course, was the princess herself. After everyone had fired, she took it upon herself to draw another arrow. She nocked and held, stared at her target with cool precision, and then let loose. The arrow flew through the air at a dizzying speed, and then embedded itself in the exposed neckline of the Moblin captain's armor. It gave a gurgling roar, and in its death throws began to flail about, its spear crashing into and disrupting much of the hasty defensive positions that its army had created. They were disoriented, discombobulated, and Impa could practically smell the fear.

It was time to strike.

Darunia, it appeared, needed no extra signal. He led the charge himself down the ramp, roaring like a dragon as he raced far and ahead of his forces. He had begun carving a massive swath through the enemy forces well before the rest of his army caught up, and the combined effort was enough to get them to retreat back into the temple.

"They will try to raise the water level, but won't be able to if we have their dams…" Impa said. She turned to Itami. "Pick your stoutest men and women and tell them to hold this position. Most of your archers too. The best men and women you have for close encounters? They're with me."

Itami nodded, and gestured. Roughly a third of his force broke off from their post to fall in behind him and Impa, who had left the dam and was racing for the entrance to the temple.

They met at the head of the ramp with Zelda and her Hyrulian force, some of which Impa was thankful to see were trained Seegs. Ordering them to the front, Impa took point as their coalition descended into the abyss to join the Goron assault.

.

It was dark, massive, musty, and cold. Despite the sacred nature of this place, Impa could see that Darunia and his men were now taking delight in violently bludgeoning their foes out of the way. Zelda stared directly ahead.

"There." She said. Across a large and deep pool of water in the center of the atrium was a doorway, with two large locks on it. "That must be the entrance to the inner sanctum. Ruto will sneak in there to unlock the door from the inside. It is upon us to capture the two rooms that control the bridge that crosses that pool.

"Can we not just swim across?" Itami asked.

"The Zora do not dare." Zelda said.

"They don't dare? Why, is it so sacred that they wouldn't want to-" Itami was cut off by a most horrifying sight.

One of the Moblins Darunia was facing off against was knocked into the pool in question. Gasping, the creature managed to start treading water. Only to let a most terrible squeal as something yanked it underneath. There was a bubbling and thrashing underneath the surface, and then the water where it once floated turned a dark red. Impa thought she saw a terrifying silhouette just under the depths*, but perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Zelda turned back towards Itami.

"The Zora do not dare." She repeated. Itami looked pale.

"Bring down the bridge?" He managed to say.

"Bring down the bridge." Impa affirmed. She looked to the left. "Down that hallway I am sure is the room where one of the control rooms has to be. Let's take our company there. Itami, take the Princess and her forces that way. I'll rendezvous with Darunia."

"Will you tell him of the plan?" Zelda asked. Impa shrugged.

"I'm not sure I need to tell him much of anything. Just keep him pointed in the general direction I need to go, and he'll crash into it."

.

Her father had shown her this passage once, long ago. As she sidled through the claustrophobia-inducing vent, Ruto tried not to pass out in fear. She was not a little girl now; it was harder to get through this vent. How her father ever did it was a mystery. Shuddering, Ruto tried to ignore the fact that the walls seemed to be closing in on her and instead focused on happier thoughts. Like, maybe running into that soldier from this morning again. He was cute. Or, if she couldn't find him, then maybe take a shot at that grumpy-looking Craol that was apparently Impa's lieutenant on this Goddess-forsaken mission. He was cuter.

She reached the end of the passage, and tried not to panic as she read the runes on the little doorway. "Speak friend and enter." The words read.

"_Amice._"

The doorway melted away before her, and with a squeal Ruto was sucked through the opening.

The doorway sealed again just as she passed through, preventing the entire temple from being flooded. Ruto took control of the water around her, and fashioned it into a rather comfortable pillow of sorts to cushion her fall. As this opening was in the ceiling, this was the final trick. Any fool could learn to speak Zora and open the passage. But unless you were a water-weaver like Zora royalty, then you would be dashed across the stony ground with an unceremonious splat.

Ruto bounced once, and then burst the bubble to look around. She was in the inner sanctum, alright. She stared ahead, above the Tomb of the First Zora*, and looked on in wonder at the strange portal pulsing above it. If she peered into it close enough, she could see…well, it looked like Hyrule, but it wasn't the Hyrule that she knew. Maybe it was the Hyrule that these guests of theirs had come from?

It was a good thing that, for all of her fascination with living the royal life (and enjoying the perks that came with it), Ruto was blessed with uncanny reflexes. For if she hadn't, the sword coming down for her face would have embedded itself deep in her skull.

Ruto rolled out of the way, summoning from her wrists two sharp Zora Scales for attack and defense. She stared at her attacker.

"Zelda? What are you doin-oh, right." Ruto said as she rolled out of the way of another attack. The Zelda lookalike, dressed in dark monochrome and purple armor, let out a most unpleasant hiss as she prepared for another attack. Despite feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Ruto could not resist getting off a barb.

"I don't know what you are, but it's unladylike to snarl like that. You should've taken notes in charm school."

.

"HYAH!"

With a roar, Darunia lunged forward with his hammer, catching a Moblin right in the forehead. The poor beast was turned into an impromptu pancake, as Darunia followed through with his swing all the way down into the ground.

"Brother Darunia!" Impa raced forward, taking care to duck under the former's hammer swing that killed a half-dozen Bokoblin.

"Sister Impa!" Darunia roared. He was practically dancing around the battlefield at this point, haphazardly smashing things left and right. Impa was both dodging his swings, as well as conveying the information she needed to.

"We need-to get-into-the bridge-control room!" Impa punctuated each of these few words with an avoiding of Darunia's hammer. Darunia laughed.

"Why, Sister Impa! Why didn't you just say so! That's the place we were gonna hit next!" He let out a cry of exuberance. "Forth, Gorons! CHAAARRRRRRGGEEE!"

He raced headlong into the room in question. Impa was about to race in after the Gorons, but then realized that…watching the spectacle was a little more entertaining. She curbstomped a Stalchild that had escaped the massacre somehow, and then stuck her Biggoron knife point-first into the ground. Resting her hip against the hilt, Impa allowed herself a moment's rest…and quite a bit of morbid entertainment at the wreckage in front of her.

.

Zelda parried a swing of a Bokoblin knife, and with an expert lunge pricked the creature right in the neck with her rapier. The little beast went down, its vital artery having been ruptured. Zelda twirled like a ballerina, effortlessly deflecting a few sword strikes at the same time, and proceeded to duel a rather savage-looking Moblin.

That was ended, unfortunately, when a small knife came out of nowhere and embedded itself in the Moblin's knife. Zelda whirled around to see where it came from. Itami had already pivoted around from throwing that knife to facing against his next foe. While most of the soldiers had some sort of sword or other kind of weapon, Itami had something rather odd. He wore armored gauntlets, that formed a sort of sleeve-shield that protected his palms and fingers when he closed his hand into a fist. From there, he would essentially block a strike with his forearm, before lunging forward with his free arm. There was a small knife hidden under his wrists, and he used both liberally and with extreme precision. When his enemy was too far away, he expertly and swiftly threw a knife with lethal accuracy. It looked like a strange form of hand-to-hand combat.

Itami let out a grunt, and whipped a knife that he had hidden in his coat towards the last fleeing Bokoblin, and it struck the creature in the back of the neck. From there, he swiftly ushered for his men to move in and pull the lever for the bridge. Upon doing so, they all watched as what looked like the skeletal frame of a bridge was raised up from underneath the briny depths of the forbidden pool. All that remained was Darunia's side.

At that moment, there was a terrific crash. The wall across the pool from them exploded, as brick and stone and several unfortunate Bokoblins were sent crashing into the briny deep. They, too, met a most unpleasantly unexplained fate beneath the water's surface. Ignoring this horrific event, Darunia was cheerily waving to them across the way. Then he singlehandedly yanked the lever down, and caused the bridge surface to fall from the ceiling and land on its support rails with a loud bang.

"Thank the Goddesses." Zelda said. "I think we're starting to run low on supplies."

"I'll say." Itami said. "I'm down to my last good throwing knife." Zelda motioned for the forces to follow her lead, and they regrouped with Impa and Darunia across the way.

"This is no good." Impa said. They all made their way across the bridge (most of the soldiers stayed, keeping as far away from that accursed pool as possible. Itami did not blame them) "What is taking Ruto so long?"

.

"Augh!"

Ruto rolled out of the way again, as a tendril of dark magic shot forth and slammed into the rock where she had just been standing. Standing upright again, Ruto scowled.

"Now I know you aren't Zelda. She'd never use that wicked crap!" She said. The Zelda doppelganger sneered.

"Too bad you'll die before anyone knows!" She shrieked. A jet of black lightning erupted from her fingertips. Ruto's eyes widened, knowing that a direct hit from that stuff could kill her. But she too had a few tricks up her sleeve…

Ducking under the blast, Ruto hit the ground hard and summoned what little water that had come from that opening in the temple with her. It formed at her feet, and served as a single-person slide. Racing around the room and ceiling at breakneck speed, Ruto avoided every one of the dark Zelda's attacks. She was waiting for an opportunity.

Sensing a moment that the dark Zelda needed to recharge, Ruto tossed one of her two Zora scales. It smacked the Zelda right in the chest, who howled in pain. Taking advantage of this distraction, Ruto rocketed forward towards the ancient lever that would lower the door-

-Only to feel something yank her by the ankle, and pull her violently from her watery ride. The water fell into a nearby drain, now out of her reach. Ruto saw that the dark Zelda had wrapped some sort of dark magic whip around her ankle, and was currently yanking Ruto towards her. The Zora princess had one Zora scale left, but only time to make a single choice. Open the door, or break free? She wasn't sure she could avoid another lightning bolt without watery help, and yet she wasn't sure that the lever would react to a thrown Zora scale.

Time's up.

Right before she felt the dark Zelda grab her, she twisted her body around and looked towards the lever. While she was being pulled away, Ruto heaved her final Zora Scale. It whistled through the air, and struck the lever perfectly. The old metal rod was knocked flat, and with an ancient groan the door opened.

That was right when she felt the dark Zelda's hand around her throat.

.

The door opened, but Impa's sigh of relief turned to a cry of panic.

"Ruto!"

Sure enough, there was a being that looked like Zelda, wreathed in dark aura and looking positively demonic, trying to choke the life out of the Zora princess. Impa had nothing that she could use to save Ruto, and there was no way that she could cover the distance in time…

Itami frantically kicked his leg up towards his hand, as if he were bouncing a hacky sack off his foot or reaching to pull off grime from his boot. Impa barely caught the silvery flash before he'd already pulled it from the sole of his shoe and thrown.

The knife arched through the air, and perfectly found its mark. It just missed striking Ruto's nose, but instead cleaved right through dark Zelda's wrist. It loped the hand right off, and Ruto fell to the ground in an unceremonious lump.

The Zelda lookalike stared at stump that was once her right hand, a look of blank confusion on her face. Realizing that she had new threats to deal with, she snarled and drew her rapier.

"How fitting. You wear the skin of a human, and yet you do not even know how to react when the body of one is harmed."

It was a clear, cold and powerful voice. Princess Zelda, still clad in her Sheikah armor, walked forward towards her dark imposter. She drew _her _rapier, and held it so that it pointed towards her lookalike's throat.

"I do not know what fell beast you are, but I know this." Zelda said. "You have taken my name, creature. I would like it back."

Dark Zelda finally made eye contact with Zelda, and her eyes widened.

"YOU!" The creature hissed in a very familiar rasping voice. It pointed the hand that had not been cut off at Zelda in an accusatory manner. Zelda was unfazed.

"Yes, me. I live, despite your best efforts Wizzro. And you can run along and tell your mistress Cia that she has something that belongs to me. Mark my words, I _will _take it back. From her or through her; whichever she'll have." She thrust her rapier forward once to excentuate the point.

Wizzro's disguise disintegrated, revealing it in its bulbous and disgusting form. Its single eye gazed in shock and awe at this occurance, and again pointed a crooked finger at Zelda.

"You…this cannot be! It was a perfect plan! How did-never matter. Hiya ha ha!" It cackled. "You might have halted me, but you cannot stop Mistress Cia's plan! For even as we speak, she has-"

"-Opened two other portals and sent her forces into both of those dimensions?" Zelda asked. Her bored tone seemed to physically wither Wizzro. "Yes. We know of those, too. And we have armies to close them as well. So my advice to you, my dark, despicable little friend, is to _run _and _hide. _Or so help me I will run you through where you float."

There was a hissing sound, followed by a bang. Wizzro disappeared, leaving behind a dark stench and a dark gas in its place. Zelda walked towards the spot where it stood, and dismissively waved at the air.

"Itami, check on Princess Ruto." Zelda ordered. Itami had already raced over to her, and rolled the Zora princess onto her back. He was kneeling by her side, and with a quizzical expression leaned in closer to see if she was breathing.

That was answered rather quickly. Ruto's eyes snapped open, and with a squeal she had flung herself into Itami's arms.

"Ohhhh my HERO!" Ruto said breathlessly. "How noble of you to save me from that disgusting freaky wizard thing!"

Itami's face could best be described as a kabuki mask: utterly, utterly devoid of emotion. Well, except for annoyance. Sighining mightily, he laid Ruto back down on her back.

"Let me check to make sure you aren't hurt at all, your _highness._" He didn't say that last word so much as he spat that last word, causing Impa to nearly double over trying not to laugh. Darunia was already chuckling.

"Oooh, do you need to give me a _physical_?" Ruto asked, making a rather sultry look. Itami sighed.

"No. I might need to check for internal injuries, though. Let me prepare something for tha-"

"Oooo, _internal _injuries? Sounds like you _do _need to give me a physical. In that case, at least buy me dinner first, baby…"

Zelda rolled her eyes with a smile. She gathered the Ravager shaman around her, and soon they were chanting the spell of containment. The Gate of Souls began to fluctuate widly, but then there was a bright flash and it was no more. Zelda smiled.

"One down." She sighed, feeling the stress of battle and the adrenaline leaving her. Impa placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's good to have you back, Zelda. I'm sure that Link and the others will be happy to see you as well."

"I agree." Zelda said with a smile, ignoring the small blush creeping on her cheeks. "So, what happens now?"

"What do you think?" Darunia said, suddenly lumbering up behind them. "I follow you through the portal, and then help you crush that Sorceress!"

"Oh Darunia, you needn't worry about-" Zelda was cut off.

"Ah bup bup bup! No chance convincin' me otherwise. You know how rock-headed us Gorons are. So long as you need me, Darunia, King Under the Mountain, is yours to lead!" He practically shouted that last line, causing the entire temple to echo.

"And you can count me in too…" Ruto said. "Where else will I find men as handsome as this doctor?"

"I'm not a doctor, your highness. I'm a _war medic._"

"Ooooh…That sounds even _hotter._"

"_Odi dampnas officium_.*"

Ignoring Itami's grumblings, Zelda turned towards Impa.

"I wonder how the others are doing?"

A/N: And another chapter is in the books! You might notice a few differences from the game and the story at this point. I've done away with the Mirror of Truth angle to reveal Wizzro, as I found that part of the game (staying alive while Ruto took FOREVER to find the damn thing) very frustrating.

Also…

I pulled the trigger on revealing Zelda's identity early, as you can tell. I did it for a number of reasons, but the biggest one is this: The "Sheik is Zelda" plot twist is so well-known by fans of the game that it has essentially become an "untwist," much like the secret to _Citizen Kane _is that "Rosebud" is the name of his childhood sled, representing the childhood that was the happiest time in the eponymous Charles Kane. (Sorry if I spoiled it for you.) But more relevant to the Legend of Zelda: the truth of Sheik's identity is so deeply ingrained in the Zelda fanbase that it would be a bigger twist if Zelda was once _not _Sheik, but instead it is always played straight.

And this had the unfortunate side-effect of making some of my characters seem like incredible dumbasses. Especially Impa, who _really should know better_.

Thus, I cobbled together as feasible an explanation as I could to explain the wool over everyone's eyes, until it was no longer feasible to maintain the charade. And in its place, I present Sheik as less a neat little wink to the fanbase and mythology of the games (because, let's be honest. I do that a _billion _times throughout this story ), and more as an arch for Zelda: she disguised herself partially as strategy, and partially due to the fear of Cia's power, as well as a fear of "Am I really deserving of my destiny?", and this chapter helped her get her groove back. Watch out world, this ain't no damsel in distress no more. Might be a damsel _of _distress, you know?

Hahahaha…hah…ahh…I'll shut up now.

Hope you enjoyed reading Darunia and Ruto as much as I enjoyed writing them. Darunia in particular is a blast, to the point that every time I write his dialogue I grin. And if I can cross a line with Ruto and innuendo, I will find that line and cross it dammit.

Poor Itami. Looks like he's become the Eeyore in my rapidly growing cast of characters. It's also quite fun to write.

As always, reviews are much appreciated. If, in leaving one, you indicate to me which branch of the story to take next, it might have a factor in whose side of the story you see next. A lot more direct than those silly polls, huh?

Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

_**HYRULIAN CODEX**_

**Shaman culture – **_The fringes of spirituality in Hyrule and elsewhere in the globe do not necessarily ascribe to the more traditional "cleric" sense of magic. Instead of formal schooling and training, these brave souls instead ascribe to a blend of religious belief mixed with displays of magic, forming a syncretic blend. Shaman in less-civilized societies tend to take on the role of warrior-priest in some areas, or even walking deity in others. The Ravager shaman adhere to a much more moderate position: they are well-skilled in medicine, storytelling, and offer a form of religious expertise for the more spiritual members of the culture who don't necessarily ascribe to the religion of the Golden Goddesses or even the One Great Goddess._

**The Zora Water Temple – **_A sacred place of worship for the Zora People during the Era of the Hero of Time, it was at the bottom of Lake Hylia and was also supposedly the domain of the sacred Sage of Water. It is a revered place amongst Zora, who tell tales of its intricate design as a sign of Nayru's love for their people, and they boast of the intellectual stimulation such a place of worship must require. Outsiders, and other snarky groups, view the Water Temple as less of an architectural marvel like the Zoras would and instead refer to it as, in rather blunt terms, a "Goddess-damned labyrinthine nightmare" that is "nigh-incomprehensible" or "a back-tracking cesspit" to decipher based on the floor plans available through historical preservation. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Either way, it is remembered fondly by the Zora people._

**The Watcher of The Water Temple – **_Almost nothing exists to describe the creature in question. There are a few allusions to such a being that lives in the depths of the Water Temple, guarding the Tomb of the First Zora with fanatic loyalty…but that is where myth and fact start to blur. No official picture exists of this creature, and based on the scant descriptions, artists have either come up with an eerie tentacle or a nightmarish monstrocity. There is no point of convergence, and there might never be. No one is certain, other than the fact that it never left the Water Temple and that the Zoras of this time period were __**petrified **__of the water that guarded the Inner Sanctum of the temple. Some contrarian theorists posit that whatever this creature is, perhaps the reason for the construction of the Water Temple was not necessarily to keep people and invaders out…but to keep this abomination __**in.**_

"**Amice" – **_The Zora word for "friend." _

**The Tomb of the First Zora – **_There is little known about this mythical figure in terms of fact, but there are plenty of myths that surround him. Perhaps the most famous figure in Zora literature and art, The First Zora was allegedly the first sentient Zora blessed by Nayru Herself to serve as her first champion. This intrepid soul then conquered the nightmarish beasts that roamed the bottom of the endless oceans that covered the planet during its early years, slaying or taming them in order to make the water a safe domain for the Zora to live. The most famous story is of him besting the Kraken, a legendary creature that was apparently Din's favorite pet, in order to secure a future for the Zora people. The story goes that after slaying the beast, an enraged Din appeared before the First Zora demanding to know why he'd done so. The first Zora allegedly winked and said "Mare enim in omnibus," or "For the sea in all" in ancient Zora. Impressed with the fellow's chutzpah, Din agreed to let a race of those like him to exist. The story usually stops there, but other tellings suggest that Din also gave him "a beast most intemperate and frightening to ride," leading to the creation of the Watcher of The Water Temple (see above.) _

"**Odi Dampnas Officium" – **_A phrase from an old Craol dialect that has long since been forgotten to the margins of language, only kept alive by a few tribes. Roughly translated, it means "I hate this damn job."_


End file.
